We Run 12 Sites and Handwritten Labels Are Failing EHO Inspections. What Should We Switch To?
What a 12-site group should switch to when handwritten prep and PPDS labels keep failing EHO inspections: one recipe library, allergen matrix per group, printed labels per site, and how to roll it out.
Move every site onto one recipe and allergen library and print labels from it: the ingredients list, allergens in bold and the date come from the recipe, not from whoever is on prep. Paddl holds the recipes and allergen matrix for the whole group, generates compliant PPDS labels per site, and shows head office which sites have out-of-date allergen data. Pair it with a thermal label printer at each site.
Key Facts
In Detail
Handwritten labels fail at scale for a simple reason: the information on them comes from the person writing them. Across 12 sites that is 12 versions of the ingredients list for the same sandwich, allergens missed when a supplier swaps a mayonnaise, dates written wrongly on a busy morning, and an EHO at one site who finds a label that contradicts the allergen matrix on the wall. Under Natasha's Law any food packed on site before the customer chooses it needs a full ingredients list with the 14 allergens emphasised, and a group cannot meet that by hand in 12 kitchens. The fix is structural, not a better pen. The recipe and its allergens are held once, centrally, and every site's labels are generated from it. When head office changes a recipe or a supplier changes an ingredient, the label at every site changes with it. Prep labels (product, date made, use-by, who made it) come from the same system so they are legible and consistent. Sites print on a thermal label printer, which costs less than one improvement notice. In Paddl the dishes and their allergens are recorded for the business, the allergen matrix is available at every site on the tablet and can be printed, and PPDS labels are generated from the recipe with the allergens emphasised. Head office can see whether each site's allergen information is current, and the whole thing is covered by the daily compliance score and the audit pack. The free PPDS label generator on this site shows the output before you commit to anything.
Why the EHO keeps failing the labels
Officers check that a PPDS label carries the food name and a full ingredients list in descending order with every allergen emphasised each time it appears, in text at least 1.2mm high. Handwriting rarely manages the full list, never manages consistent emphasis, and cannot keep up with supplier changes. A label that disagrees with the allergen matrix is the finding that costs a rating point, because it shows the system is not being managed.
Rolling out labelling across 12 sites
Load the menu once with every recipe down to the sauces and garnishes, and map each ingredient to the 14 allergens. Buy a thermal label printer for each site. Switch one site over for a week, fix the recipes that were wrong (there will be some), then switch the rest. Train the prep team that a product with no printed label does not go on sale, and make goods-in check every delivery against the specification so a substituted ingredient updates the recipe before it reaches a label.
What head office gains
One allergen matrix for the group, with each site's menu variations handled as per-site dishes. Visibility of which sites have reviewed their allergen information this month. And when a customer reaction is reported at one site, the exact recipe and label that was on sale that day, not a manager's recollection.
Labelling options for a multi-site group
| Handwritten | Standalone label printer software | Recipe library with labels (Paddl) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the ingredients come from | The person writing | Typed once per printer | One group recipe library, every site |
| Allergens emphasised correctly | Rarely | If typed correctly | Automatically from the recipe |
| Supplier change | Nobody knows | Update each printer | Update once, every site follows |
| Head office visibility | None | None | Which sites are current, in the score |
| Cost | Labels and fines | Software per printer | Included in £69 per site |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all 12 sites need the same allergen matrix?
They need one source of truth. Sites that serve the same menu share it; a site with local dishes adds them as its own. What must never happen is two sites holding different allergen data for the same dish.
Which label printer works with Paddl?
Labels are generated as print-ready output that any thermal label printer or standard printer can produce. Most groups use a desktop thermal printer per site because the labels survive a chiller.
Does this cover prep labels as well as PPDS labels?
Yes. Prep and day-dot style labels (product, made, use-by, who) and PPDS labels with the full ingredients list both come from the same recipe data.
Run every site to the same standard
Start a trial with your site count already set, or book a 30-minute group demo and see it with your numbers.