Natasha's Law came into force across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on 1 October 2021. It closed a labelling gap that allowed food prepacked for direct sale to be sold without a full ingredients list — the gap linked to the death of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse. If your kitchen packs food before a customer orders it, this blueprint turns the rules into a routine you can run every service.
What 'prepacked for direct sale' actually means
Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) is food packaged on the same premises it is sold from, and packaged before the customer chooses or orders it. Think of a sandwich made in the morning and put in the chiller, a salad pot wrapped at the counter, or boxed cakes on a shelf. Food made to order and handed over, or wrapped in front of the customer, is not PPDS — though it still needs accurate allergen information available on request.
Getting this boundary right is the first step. If you are unsure which of your lines count as PPDS, a food safety consultant can walk the menu with you, or start with our free allergen management checklist.
The blueprint: labelling PPDS food correctly
- List every PPDS line you produce — anything packed before it is ordered.
- For each line, write the name of the food so a customer knows what it is.
- Write the full ingredients list, in descending order of weight.
- Emphasise any of the 14 regulated allergens within that ingredients list (for example in bold, italics or a contrasting colour) so they stand out.
- Build allergen checks into your recipe sign-off so a changed ingredient updates the label, not just the recipe card.
- Train every member of staff who packs or sells PPDS food on what the label must show and why.
The 14 allergens you must emphasise
UK law requires you to declare and emphasise these 14 allergens whenever they are used as ingredients: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, and sulphur dioxide or sulphites (above 10mg/kg or 10mg/litre).
- Name of the food: A clear product name, not just a brand or a code.
- Full ingredients list: Every ingredient in descending order of weight, including compound ingredients.
- Emphasised allergens: The 14 allergens made to stand out from the rest of the list.
What good looks like
- Labels are generated from the recipe, so an ingredient change updates the label automatically.
- A named person signs off labelling whenever a recipe changes.
- Staff can explain why an allergen is emphasised, not just point at the label.
- Allergen information for non-PPDS food is consistent with your PPDS labels.
Allergen management is also one of the things an Environmental Health Officer looks at when assessing confidence in management — a factor in your hygiene rating. If you want to pressure-test your wider controls, our free risk assessment flags the gaps in minutes, and our training courses cover allergen awareness for the whole team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Natasha’s Law apply to food made to order?
No. Food made to order and handed straight to the customer is not PPDS, but you must still have accurate allergen information available — for example on a menu, a sign or on request from staff.
Can I use stickers or a stamp for PPDS labels?
Yes, as long as the finished label clearly shows the name of the food, the full ingredients list and the emphasised allergens, and the information is accurate for that exact product.
What happens if a PPDS label is wrong?
Incorrect allergen labelling is a food safety offence and a serious risk to allergic customers. Local authorities can take enforcement action, and a mislabelled product can cause a life-threatening reaction, so labels must be verified against the recipe every time it changes.
Sources
Written by Carren Amoli, BSc (Hons), RSPH Registered
