Natasha's Law Explained: What UK Food Businesses Need to Know

The background

Natasha's Law is the informal name for amendments to the Food Information for Consumers Regulation that came into force in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland on 1 October 2021. Scotland introduced equivalent requirements on the same date.

The law is named after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died in 2016 after suffering an allergic reaction to a baguette that contained sesame — an ingredient not declared on the packaging. The subsequent inquest and campaign by her family led directly to the legislative change.

Before the law changed, food prepared and packed on the same premises where it was sold — a wrapped sandwich made in a café, for example — was exempt from full ingredient labelling. That exemption no longer exists.

What is PPDS food?

PPDS stands for pre-packed for direct sale. Food is PPDS when it meets all three of the following conditions:

• It is packed before a customer orders or selects it
• It is packed on the same premises from which it is sold
• It is offered for sale in that packaging

Common examples include:

• Wrapped sandwiches or rolls prepared in a café or deli
• Individually packaged cakes, pastries, or slices
• Meal-prep pots or salad boxes assembled on site
• Packaged products at a bakery counter where customers select items themselves

The key distinction is between food a customer can pick up and take without any interaction with staff, and food that is prepared or finished to order. Food made to order at the point of sale is not PPDS — it falls under the looser rules for non-prepacked food, where allergen information must be available on request but does not need to appear on a label.

What the law requires

For any food that meets the PPDS definition, the label must include:

The name of the food

A clear description of what the product is.

A full ingredients list

All ingredients must be listed in descending order of weight. Compound ingredients — a sauce or dressing that contains multiple components — must be broken down to list their constituent parts if they make up more than 2% of the finished product.

Allergens emphasised within the ingredients list

Any of the 14 legally required allergens present in the product must be emphasised within the ingredients list — typically by printing them in bold. They do not need to be listed separately; the emphasis within the ingredients list is sufficient.

There is no prescribed label format beyond these requirements. The label can be a sticker, a printed card, or a tag — provided the information is clear, legible, and permanently attached to or printed on the packaging.

What the law does not require

It is worth being clear about what Natasha's Law does not mandate:

• A specific label design or format
• Calorie or nutritional information (this is a separate requirement for large businesses)
• A best before or use by date — though date marking is required under separate food

hygiene regulations for most chilled products

Who is affected

Any food business that prepares and packs food on its own premises for customers to select is affected. This includes:

• Cafés and coffee shops selling pre-wrapped food
• Bakeries with packaged counter products
• Delis and sandwich bars
• Meal-prep and food-to-go businesses
• Catering companies supplying pre-packed items to events or offices

If you are unsure whether a particular product in your range qualifies as PPDS, the FSA has published technical guidance with worked examples. When in doubt, applying the full labelling requirement is always the safer approach.

Common mistakes

Listing allergens separately rather than within the ingredients list

The legal requirement is to emphasise allergens within the ingredients list — not to add a separate "contains" statement instead of a full list. A "contains: gluten, milk, eggs" label without a full ingredients list does not meet the requirement.

Not updating labels when recipes change

Your label is only as accurate as your recipe. Any change to an ingredient — including a supplier change that introduces a new allergen — must trigger a label update before the product goes back on sale.

Assuming verbal communication is sufficient for PPDS food

For food that is not pre-packed, verbal allergen information with written backup is acceptable. For PPDS food, the label is mandatory — a member of staff telling a customer what is in a wrapped product does not satisfy the legal requirement.

Overlooking compound ingredients

If your sandwich contains a mayonnaise made from eggs, mustard, and oil, those components must appear in your ingredients list. Listing "mayonnaise" alone is not sufficient if it contains allergens that are not then visible in the list.

Getting your labelling process right

A reliable labelling process for PPDS food typically involves:

1. A master recipe card for each product, listing every ingredient including sub-ingredients

of compound items

1. Cross-referencing each ingredient against the 14 allergens — using supplier specifications,

not assumptions

1. A label template that formats the ingredients list with allergens in bold
2. A review trigger — so that any recipe or supplier change automatically prompts a label check

For a full overview of the 14 allergens and where they commonly appear, see our guide to the 14 allergens.

For broader allergen management across your menu — including obligations for non-prepacked food — the FSA's allergen guidance for food businesses is the authoritative reference.