Guide
When did Natasha’s Law start?
Natasha’s Law — the PPDS allergen labelling requirements — came into force across the United Kingdom on 1 October 2021. From that date, food packed before selection and sold by the same business from the same premises needed a name and full ingredients list with allergens emphasised.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The date that matters
1 October 2021 is the enforcement start date businesses work to. There was a lead-in period with guidance and sector materials from the FSA so bakeries, cafés, mobile traders and others could change processes before the day.
Why that date is still relevant
If you started trading after 2021, treat the rules as current law, not a historic campaign. Local authority officers still check PPDS packs for name, ingredients and allergen emphasis. Labels created under old “ask staff” habits are not enough for PPDS food.
If you are catching up now
- List every product packed before the customer chooses it
- Pull supplier specs for mixes, sauces, chocolate and glazes
- Write ingredients lists with allergens emphasised every time they appear
- Set a trigger to update labels when recipes or suppliers change
Official sources
Use current FSA / FSS PPDS labelling guidance — do not rely on pre-2021 allergen advice for packed products.
Questions
Was there a different date in Scotland or Wales?
Can I still sell PPDS food without a full ingredients list?
Official sources
Everything on this page traces back to these. Where they and we disagree, they are right — tell us and we'll fix it.
- Introduction to allergen labelling for PPDS foodFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
- Labelling guidance for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food productsFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
- Food allergen labelling and information requirements technical guidanceFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK