Natasha's Law: Complete Guide for UK Restaurants (2025)

Natasha's Law came into force on 1 October 2021, introducing new allergen labelling requirements for Pre-Packaged for Direct Sale (PPDS) foods. If your restaurant, café or takeaway prepares and pre-packages food on the same premises where it is sold, you need to understand and comply with these rules.

What is Natasha's Law?

Natasha's Law — formally the Food Information (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2021 — was named after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, a 15-year-old who died in 2016 after suffering an allergic reaction to a baguette that contained sesame seeds. The baguette carried no allergen information because it was classed as PPDS food, which at the time was exempt from labelling requirements.

The law closed this loophole by requiring all PPDS foods to carry a label with the product name, a full ingredients list, and all 14 allergens emphasised within that ingredients list.

Who Does It Apply To?

Natasha's Law applies to any food business that:

• Prepares food and packages it on the same premises where it will be sold
• The food is in packaging before a customer orders it

Common examples include:

• Sandwiches, wraps and rolls pre-made and put in packaging before sale
• Salads packaged and placed in a chiller cabinet
• Pastries and baked goods in cellophane bags or boxes
• Snacks and energy balls packaged and sold from the same kitchen

It does not apply to:

• Food made fresh to order (loose food sold directly to customers)
• Food packaged at a different site and delivered (this falls under different labelling rules)
• Food packaged in front of the customer at their request

What is PPDS Food?

PPDS (Pre-Packaged for Direct Sale) food is food that:

1. Is fully or partly enclosed by packaging
2. Has been packaged before being offered for sale
3. Is sold on the same premises where it was packaged (including delivered from the same site)

What Must Labels Include?

A compliant PPDS label must show:

1. Product name — what the product is
2. Full ingredients list — in descending order by weight
3. Allergens emphasised — all 14 allergens present must be highlighted within the ingredients list (bold, different colour, or different font)
4. "May contain" statement — if there is a risk of cross-contamination from allergens not in the recipe
5. Net weight — where applicable
6. Storage instructions — if required for food safety
7. Use-by or best-before date — calculated from when it was prepared

The 14 UK Allergens

Under UK law, the following 14 allergens must be declared on food labels:

1. Celery
2. Cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut)
3. Crustaceans (prawns, crabs, lobster)
4. Eggs
5. Fish
6. Lupin
7. Milk
8. Molluscs (clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, squid)
9. Mustard
10. Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts)
11. Peanuts
12. Sesame seeds
13. Soya
14. Sulphur dioxide/sulphites (at concentrations above 10mg/kg or 10mg/litre)

Penalties for Non-Compliance

Non-compliance with Natasha's Law can result in:

• Improvement notices from your local authority
• Fines — up to £5,000 per offence in some cases
• Prosecution — if non-compliance results in harm
• Reputation damage — particularly serious in the age of social media
• Lower Food Hygiene Rating — EHOs assess allergen management as part of the "Confidence in Management" inspection area

Step-by-Step: Creating Compliant Labels

Step 1: Identify all PPDS products Walk through your kitchen and identify every product that is packaged before customers order it. Include products you might overlook: individually wrapped portions, grab-and-go items, take-home desserts.

Step 2: Document the recipe for each product Write down every ingredient in each product, in order of weight (heaviest first). This is your ingredients list.

Step 3: Identify all allergens in each product Go through the 14 allergens and check which are present in your recipe. Also consider cross-contamination risks — if your kitchen handles nuts and you can't guarantee separation, you may need a "may contain nuts" statement.

Step 4: Create the label Your label needs:

• Product name
• Ingredients list with allergens in bold or otherwise emphasised
• May contain statement (if applicable)
• Use-by date/time (calculated from preparation time + shelf life)
• Storage instructions

Step 5: Print and attach before packaging Labels must be on or attached to the packaging before the product goes out for sale.

Step 6: Keep records Maintain an allergen matrix for all your menu items. This shows which allergens are in each dish and helps with both PPDS labelling and answering customer allergen enquiries.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Not knowing which products are PPDS: Any food you pre-package — even a simple branded paper bag with a brownie in it — is PPDS if it's packaged before the customer orders.

Listing allergens separately instead of in the ingredients: Allergens must be emphasised within the ingredients list, not just listed separately at the bottom of the label.

Missing the "may contain" statement: If your kitchen handles nut-containing ingredients and you can't guarantee full separation, you need a "may contain" statement. Leaving it out when cross-contamination risk exists is a serious liability.

Using outdated labels: If a recipe changes — even slightly — labels must be updated before the product goes on sale. Keep a change log for recipes.

Not training staff: All staff who prepare, package, or sell PPDS foods need to understand allergen requirements. Regular training and a written allergen policy are essential.

Getting Natasha's Law compliance right is not just a legal requirement — it's a matter of life and death for customers with severe allergies. If you're unsure about any aspect of your compliance, speak to your local Environmental Health team or a food safety consultant.