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Allergen Labelling & Law

How to Label PPDS Food: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Label PPDS Food: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide

Quick answer

A compliant PPDS label is not complicated once you know what goes on it, but the detail matters and small errors are exactly what Environmental Health Officers look for. Since 1 October 2021, every prepacked for direct sale item must carry the name of the food and a full ingredients list with the 14 allergens emphasised within that list. This guide takes you through producing a label one step at a time: naming the product, writing a complete ingredients list in the right order, emphasising every allergen wherever it appears, and adding the storage and date information that good practice (and other food hygiene rules) expects. The aim is a label a customer with an allergy can read at a glance and trust. Work through the steps in order for each product, because each one builds on the last, and an error early in the process carries through to the printed label.

  • Every PPDS label needs the food name and a full ingredients list with the 14 allergens emphasised
  • Break down compound ingredients (sauces, dressings, mayonnaise) into their sub-ingredients
  • Emphasise each allergen every time it appears, using the exact regulatory term such as "milk" or "soya"
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Key takeaways

Every PPDS label needs the food name and a full ingredients list with the 14 allergens emphasised
Break down compound ingredients (sauces, dressings, mayonnaise) into their sub-ingredients
Emphasise each allergen every time it appears, using the exact regulatory term such as "milk" or "soya"
Add a use-by date and storage instructions as good practice, driven by separate hygiene duties
Repeat every step and destroy old labels whenever a recipe or supplier changes

Step 1: Name the Food and Write the Full Ingredients List

Start with the name of the food as a customer would recognise it: "Cheese and tomato sandwich," not an internal code like "SW-12." Then write a complete ingredients list. Every ingredient goes on it, listed in descending order of weight as it went into the recipe. Compound ingredients must be broken down: if you use mayonnaise, list its components (rapeseed oil, egg yolk, mustard, and so on) rather than just "mayonnaise." The same goes for sauces, dressings, marinades, stock, and seasoning blends. Processing aids count too, so the flour you dust a work surface with is an ingredient in the finished bread. Trace every component back to its raw parts. If you cannot get a full breakdown of a bought-in ingredient from your supplier, you cannot write an accurate label, so chase the supplier specification before you go any further. The ingredients list is the foundation; the allergen emphasis in the next step depends on it being complete.
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Step 2: Emphasise the 14 Allergens

Once the full list is written, go through it and emphasise each of the 14 allergens wherever it appears. The 14 are celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, nuts, peanuts, sesame, soya, and sulphur dioxide/sulphites. Bold is the clearest method and the one the FSA recommends, but you can use italics, underlining, capital letters, or a contrasting colour as long as the allergen stands out from the surrounding text. Emphasise the allergen every single time it occurs. If "wheat flour" appears near the top and "wheat starch" further down, both instances of "wheat" must be emphasised. Use the exact term from the regulations: "milk" rather than "dairy," "soya" rather than "soy lecithin only." A quick way to check your work is to ask someone who does not know the recipe to spot the allergens in three seconds. If they cannot, the emphasis is not doing its job.

Step 3: Add Storage, Use-By, and Final Checks

Natasha's Law itself requires the name and the ingredients list, but a usable PPDS label normally carries more. Add a use-by date so the customer and your own team can manage shelf life, and add storage instructions where they matter, such as "keep refrigerated." These come from separate food hygiene duties rather than the allergen rules, but customers expect them and inspectors look for shelf-life management. Then run final checks before printing. Confirm the ingredients list matches the current recipe, not last month's. Confirm every allergen is emphasised and spelled with the regulatory term. Confirm the label is legible: dark text, a plain light background, and a font comfortably above the 1.2mm minimum x-height. Print onto a label stock that survives your storage conditions without smearing or peeling. When a recipe or supplier changes, repeat all three steps and destroy the old label stock so an outdated version cannot reach a customer.

What to do next

Write a master recipe sheet for each PPDS item

Document every product with a full, broken-down ingredients list and the source supplier specification for each bought-in component. Use this as the single source for labels.

Build a reusable label template

Create a fixed layout with the food name, an ingredients heading, the list with allergens in bold, and fields for use-by and storage. Reuse it for consistency across products.

Do a three-second allergen check before printing

Ask a colleague who does not know the recipe to find the allergens in three seconds. If they struggle, increase the emphasis before the label goes to print.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistake
Listing "mayonnaise" or "dressing" without breaking it down
Instead
Compound ingredients must be split into their sub-ingredients so hidden allergens like egg, mustard, or fish are declared and emphasised.
Mistake
Emphasising an allergen once but missing later occurrences
Instead
Every instance of an allergen must be emphasised. If wheat appears twice in the list, both must be in bold or your chosen emphasis style.

Frequently asked questions

What must go on a PPDS label?

The name of the food and a full ingredients list with the 14 allergens emphasised. Good practice adds a use-by date and storage instructions, which come from separate food hygiene rules.

Do I have to use bold for allergens?

Not specifically. Bold is recommended by the FSA and is the most common method, but italics, underlining, capitals, or a contrasting colour are all acceptable as long as the allergen clearly stands out.

Does a PPDS label need a use-by date?

Natasha's Law does not require it, but separate food hygiene rules mean you must manage shelf life. Most businesses add a use-by date to PPDS labels as standard good practice.

How do I handle a label when the recipe changes?

Rework the ingredients list and allergen emphasis from the new recipe, reprint the label, and destroy all old label stock for that product before the changed recipe is sold.

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Related resources

How-To Guides

How to Manage Allergens in a Commercial Kitchen

Glossary

The 14 Allergens (UK Law)

Expert Answers

What Are the 14 Allergens in the UK?

UK Regulations

Natashas Law (Food Information Amendment 2019)Food Information Regulations 2014

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