Do I Need PPDS Labels? Exemptions and Who the Rules Apply To

PPDS labelling applies to any food business operator that prepares and packages food on the premises and offers it for sale at those same premises, where the food is already packaged before the customer chooses it. There is no exemption based on the size of the business or the volume of food. A village cafe wrapping its own flapjacks faces the same duty as a supermarket bakery section. The duty also applies regardless of whether the food is sold for profit, so school caterers, hospital kitchens, care homes, and workplace canteens that pre-pack food for self-service are included. Charities and community groups packaging food on site for sale are covered too. If you only ever serve food on a plate, or you only wrap food after a customer orders it, you will have little or no PPDS food. But most businesses that have a grab-and-go fridge, a counter of pre-wrapped items, or a self-service chiller will have at least some PPDS products, and those products need labels.

Use this two-step check on each product. Step one: is the food in its packaging at the moment the customer chooses it? If the customer picks an unwrapped item, or orders something that you then wrap, the answer is no and you do not need a PPDS label (you do still need allergen information available). If the food is already wrapped when the customer reaches for it, go to step two. Step two: was it packaged at the same premises where it is being sold? If yes, it is PPDS and needs a full ingredients list with the 14 allergens emphasised. If it was packaged elsewhere, it is fully prepacked and needs the separate full-label treatment. Run every product through these two questions. Keep a written note of the outcome for each item, because an Environmental Health Officer may ask how you decided. The note also protects you when staff change, so the reasoning does not walk out the door.