Natasha's Law Explained: What UK Food Businesses Must Do

Every PPDS item needs a label showing the name of the food and a full ingredients list. Within that ingredients list, the 14 declarable allergens must be emphasised so they stand out clearly. The most common method is bold text, but you can use italics, underlining, capitalisation, or a different colour provided the allergen is obviously distinct from the surrounding text. The ingredient list must follow standard food labelling conventions: ingredients in descending order of weight, compound ingredients broken down, and allergens emphasised wherever they appear. You cannot simply list allergens separately. They must appear within the full ingredients list. A common non-compliant approach is printing "Contains: milk, wheat" at the bottom of a label without listing all ingredients. That does not satisfy the regulations. The label must also include the name of the food as it is commonly known, so the customer can identify what they are buying.

Start by auditing every product you sell that could be classified as PPDS. Walk through your premises during a normal service and identify every item that is in packaging before a customer touches it. For each item, write a full recipe with every ingredient, including oils, seasonings, sauces, marinades, and garnishes. Cross-reference every ingredient against the 14 allergens. Create a label for each product using a template that includes the food name and a full ingredients list with allergens in bold. Print labels using a system you can update quickly when recipes change. Many businesses use dedicated label printers connected to recipe management software, but printed stickers from a standard printer are also acceptable if legible and durable. Train every team member who prepares or packages PPDS food. They must understand that any recipe change requires a label update, and that running out of labels means the product cannot be sold until new ones are printed.