Glossary

Distance selling

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.

Reviewed 23 September 2026 against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.

In practice

A PPDS sandwich on a counter carries the ingredients list on the pack. The same sandwich ordered from an app needs that information at the point of order as well. Pointing people at a folder behind the counter does not help someone ordering from home.

The Food Standards Agency’s PPDS materials cover food sold at a distance. Keep the online ingredients identical to the label on the box. If the recipe changes, change both.

Questions

Is a click-and-collect order distance selling?

If the customer commits to the food before they can read the pack, treat the allergen information as something they must see before that commitment.

Can the box label replace the menu?

The box still needs its particulars. The customer also needs the information before they buy, not only when the box arrives.

Official sources

Everything on this page traces back to these. Where they and we disagree, they are right — tell us and we'll fix it.

Introduction to allergen labelling for PPDS foodFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
Labelling guidance for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food productsFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK