Labelling terms, plainly

Prepacked for direct sale — food packed before the customer selects it, sold by the same business from the same premises or location.

Food put into packaging before sale so the contents cannot be altered without opening or changing the packaging, and not packed on the same premises as the sale in the PPDS sense.

Food that is not sealed in packaging before the customer chooses it — for example food plated to order or taken from an open display.

The common name for the UK PPDS allergen labelling rules that took effect on 1 October 2021.

The 14 substances or products causing allergies or intolerances listed in Annex II of retained Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011.

An ingredient that is itself made of more than one ingredient — chocolate, mayonnaise, pesto, bread.

Quantitative Ingredients Declaration — stating the percentage of a characterising ingredient on some labels.

A precautionary allergen statement about possible unintended presence, not a list of ingredients used.

Voluntary wording such as “may contain” used when a real risk of cross-contact remains after controls.

The mandatory list of ingredients in descending order of weight, headed by the word “Ingredients”.

The person or company responsible for ensuring food law is met in their business.

The council food team that advises and checks food businesses in your area.

An allergenic ingredient made to stand out in the ingredients list by bold, capitals, colour or underlining.

A safety date mark used on highly perishable foods where the date relates to safety.

A quality date mark indicating when food is expected to be at its best.

Cross-contact is when an allergen reaches a food even though it is not part of the recipe — from a shared fryer, a scoop or a bench. It is not the same as an ingredient, and a “may contain” line does not replace the ingredients list.

X-height is the height of a lower-case letter x in the font you print. Mandatory food information uses a minimum x-height, which is not the same number as the point size on a thermal printer.

Distance selling means the customer chooses the food without having the physical pack in front of them. Allergen information for that food has to be available before they finish ordering, and it has to be available when the food arrives.

A supplier specification is the ingredients and allergen statement for a product you buy — chocolate, stock, pastry, sausage meat. It is the source for your PPDS label. The marketing name on the box is not.

A processing aid is used while food is made and is not itself an ingredient of the finished product — for example a release agent that is not meant to stay. If an allergen from that process is still present, allergen labelling can still apply. Do not assume “processing aid” means “leave it off”.

The two percent rule is about whether you must list the components of a compound ingredient that is under 2% of the finished food. It is not an allergen exemption. Allergens inside that ingredient still have to appear, emphasised, in the ingredients list.

A gluten-free claim means the food meets the legal level for gluten, not simply that you left wheat flour out of the recipe. Oats, barley, rye and spelt still count. Wheat-free is a different sentence and does not support a gluten-free claim.

Lactose is the sugar in milk. The allergen category is milk, including lactose. A lactose-free milk, cheese or yoghurt is still milk and must be emphasised. Lactose-free is not dairy-free.