What is Natasha's Law in simple terms?

Since 1 October 2021, any food that is packed on your premises before the customer orders it (prepacked for direct sale, or PPDS) must carry a label with the food's name and a full ingredients list, with the 14 regulated allergens emphasised — for example in bold.

Does Natasha's Law apply to made-to-order food?

No. Food packed after the customer orders it — such as a sandwich made to order — is not PPDS and does not need a full ingredient label, although you must still provide allergen information in another form, such as an allergen matrix.

Does Natasha's Law apply to home bakers?

Yes, if you pack food before it is ordered and sell it directly — for example boxed cupcakes sold at a market stall. Distance sales (e.g. items ordered online and delivered) follow different rules, but allergen information must still be provided before purchase and at delivery.

Natasha's Law, explained for small food businesses

What the law actually requires, what counts as PPDS food, and exactly what has to be on your labels — in plain English.

What is Natasha's Law?

Natasha's Law is the common name for the UK food labelling rules that came into force on 1 October 2021, requiring full ingredient and allergen labelling on food that is prepacked for direct sale (PPDS). It is named after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, a teenager who died in 2016 after an allergic reaction to sesame baked into a baguette — an ingredient that, under the rules at the time, did not have to be individually labelled because the food was packed on the premises where it was sold. The law closed that gap, and it applies across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

What counts as PPDS food?

Food is PPDS when all three of these are true:

It is presented to the customer already packaged;
It was packaged before the customer selected or ordered it;
It was packaged on the same premises it is being sold from (including your market stall or food van).

PPDS examples: sandwiches and wraps in a grab-and-go chiller, boxed cakes and brownies on the counter, tubs of salad or olives packed in advance, in-house bottled sauces, wrapped pastries.

Not PPDS: a sandwich made after the customer orders it, food plated and served in a café, loose bakery items the customer picks with tongs, food you deliver from another site (that's standard prepacked food, with its own rules), and distance sales such as online orders.

Not-PPDS food still requires allergen information — most businesses cover it with a clearly displayed, up-to-date allergen matrix.

What must the label show?

The name of the food — specific enough to be meaningful ("Chicken & bacon mayonnaise sandwich", not just "Sandwich").
A full ingredients list in descending order of weight, exactly as for supermarket products.
The 14 regulated allergens emphasised within that list — usually bold, but italics, underline or a contrasting colour are also acceptable.

The label must be on the packaging itself, legible, and in English. See the full list of the 14 allergens you must emphasise.

What happens if you don't comply?

Allergen labelling is enforced by your local authority (Environmental Health and Trading Standards). Inspectors can issue improvement notices, and continued non-compliance can lead to prosecution and fines — quite apart from the reputational damage, and the real risk to customers, of getting allergen information wrong.

A practical compliance checklist

Walk your counter and chiller: list every item that's packed before the customer orders. That's your PPDS list.
For each item, write the full recipe as an ingredients list, checking supplier labels for hidden allergens (stock cubes, sauces and spice mixes are common culprits).
Print a compliant label for every pack, allergens emphasised.
Keep an allergen matrix for everything else you sell loose or make to order.
Re-check labels every time a recipe or supplier changes — this is where most businesses slip.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Requirements can change — check the Food Standards Agency's current guidance for your nation, and speak to your local Environmental Health team if you're unsure how the rules apply to you.

Doing this by hand every week?

AllergenKit Pro keeps an ingredient library for your recipes and prints PPDS labels onto standard label sheets — change one ingredient and every label and matrix updates together. See pricing, or start with the free allergen matrix builder.