Guide summary

You must provide allergen information for the 14 major allergens in all food you sell. For prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food, include a full ingredients list with allergens highlighted since 1 October 2021. For non-prepacked food, give allergen information in writing or by telling customers. Failure to do this can lead to unlimited fines or imprisonment.

Identify the 14 major allergens in all your recipes
Label PPDS foods with full ingredients list and emphasised allergens
Use font size 1.2mm for large packaging, 0.9mm for small
Provide written allergen info for non-prepacked food (e.g. menus)
Train all staff to answer allergen questions correctly
Prevent cross-contamination: separate storage, clean equipment
Penalties for non-compliance: up to £93,000 fine or imprisonment
24% of food businesses are not fully compliant – check your labelling

You must provide allergen information for the 14 major allergens in food you sell. The requirements vary depending on how your food is sold:

Prepacked food: Full ingredients list with allergens emphasized on the label
Prepacked for Direct Sale (PPDS): Full ingredients list with allergens since October 2021 (Natasha's Law)
Non-prepacked (loose) food: Allergen information available in writing or orally (with signage)

PPDS Allergen Labelling Requirements (Natasha's Law)

Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) labelling requirements for the 14 mandatory allergens, effective from 1 October 2021.

Natasha's Law requires food businesses to provide full ingredients lists with emphasised allergens on all food "prepacked for direct sale" (PPDS). This applies to food that is packaged on the same premises where it is sold, before the customer selects it.

What is PPDS food?

PPDS includes items like sandwiches, salads, pies, and baked goods that are packaged before a customer selects them, but sold from the same premises where they were packaged. This is different from food packed on demand or fully pre-packaged food with labels already applied by the manufacturer.

Effective date: 1 October 2021 (UK-wide)
Required on label: Food name, full ingredients list, allergens emphasised
Emphasis methods: Bold, italic, highlighting, underlining, different font or colour
Minimum font size: 1.2mm x-height for packaging ≥80cm²; 0.9mm for <80cm²; <10cm² exempt from full list
Number of allergens: 14 mandatory allergens must be declared

Celery: Including celeriac
Cereals containing gluten: Wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut
Crustaceans: Prawns, crabs, lobster, crayfish
Eggs: All egg products
Fish: All fish products
Lupin: Lupin seeds and flour
Milk: Including lactose
Molluscs: Mussels, oysters, squid, snails
Mustard: All mustard products
Peanuts: Groundnuts
Sesame: Sesame seeds
Soybeans: Soya products
Sulphur dioxide/sulphites: Above 10mg/kg or 10mg/litre
Tree nuts: Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, brazils, pistachios, macadamia

Penalties for non-compliance

Allergen labelling breaches can result in enforcement action ranging from improvement notices to unlimited fines and imprisonment. Between 2014-2020, fines for allergen violations ranged from £50 to £93,000, with an average of £6,189. Environmental Health Officers from local authorities enforce these requirements.

A 2023 FSA survey found that 24% of food businesses admitted they were not fully compliant with allergen labelling requirements.

FSA allergen labelling guidance (PPDS) (opens in a new tab)

Identify allergens in recipes

Review all ingredients and cross-contamination risks for each menu item.
Label PPDS foods correctly

Include name, ingredients list with allergens emphasized, and date marking.
Provide written information

Menus, chalkboards, or information packs for non-prepacked food.
Train staff

Ensure all staff can answer allergen questions accurately. Use FSA's free allergen training.

Cross-contamination prevention

Beyond labelling, you must prevent cross-contamination between allergenic and non-allergenic foods:

Separate storage for allergenic ingredients
Dedicated equipment or thorough cleaning between uses
Staff awareness of cross-contact risks
Clear procedures for handling allergen-free requests

Legal basis

Primary legislation and key regulations

Food Safety Act 1990 Primary 1990 · UK-wide Food Information (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2019 SI 2019 · England Food Information Regulations 2014 SI 2014 · UK-wide Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (Food hygiene) EU Retained 2004 · UK-wide

Browse UK legislation legislation.gov.uk

Official guidance

Allergen guidance for food businesses (opens in a new tab)

FSA

FSA: Food hygiene ratings (opens in a new tab)

FSA

FSA: Safer Food, Better Business (opens in a new tab)

FSA

FSA guidance on distance selling (opens in a new tab)

FSA

Food labelling and packaging (GOV.UK) (opens in a new tab)

FSA

Natasha's Law guidance (opens in a new tab)

FSA

Allergen information requirements

Identify allergens in recipes

Label PPDS foods correctly

Provide written information

Train staff

Cross-contamination prevention

Legal basis

Official guidance

Related guides in Food Labelling

Selling food online: labelling and safety requirements

Register and run a food business

Food Information Regulations 2014 compliance

Allergen control systems and Natasha's Law

Food and drink regulations and traceability