Guide
Do bakeries need Natasha’s Law labels for every product?
No. Only food packed before the customer chooses it. Open trays where customers point and you bag to order usually follow non-prepacked allergen information rules. Boxed cakes and sealed cookies packed ahead need PPDS labels.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
No. Only food packed before the customer chooses it. Open trays where customers point and you bag to order usually follow non-prepacked allergen information rules. Boxed cakes and sealed cookies packed ahead need PPDS labels.
Use the Food Standards Agency PPDS materials on GOV.UK for the core duty, then confirm awkward cases with your local authority.
How to apply it
No. Only food packed before the customer chooses it. Open trays where customers point and you bag to order usually follow non-prepacked allergen information rules. Boxed cakes and sealed cookies packed ahead need PPDS labels. Use the Food Standards Agency PPDS materials on GOV.UK for the core duty, then confirm awkward cases with your local authority. Walk the product in front of you against the checklist below before you print. The mistake to refuse is: A plain sponge can still contain wheat, egg and milk. If it is PPDS, it needs a full list.
- Boxed or bagged before selection = usually PPDS
- Loose tray sales bagged to order = usually not PPDS
- Egg wash and decorations still matter on PPDS packs
- Wholesale to other shops may be fully prepacked rules
Worked example
Worked example for “Do bakeries need Natasha’s Law labels for every product?”: take one real SKU you sell this week. Apply the first check — boxed or bagged before selection = usually PPDS. Then contrast it with loose tray sales bagged to order = usually not PPDS. Write the name of the food and the full ingredients list from today’s recipe and supplier specs, emphasise every Annex II allergen each time it appears, and only then print. If the pack in your hand does not match that list, it is not ready for sale. (No.)
Checklist before you print
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Boxed or bagged before selection = usually PPDS | For “Do bakeries need Natasha’s Law labels for every product?”, “Boxed or bagged before selection = usually PPDS” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Loose tray sales bagged to order = usually not PPDS | For “Do bakeries need Natasha’s Law labels for every product?”, “Loose tray sales bagged to order = usually not PPDS” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Egg wash and decorations still matter on PPDS packs | For “Do bakeries need Natasha’s Law labels for every product?”, “Egg wash and decorations still matter on PPDS packs” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Wholesale to other shops may be fully prepacked rules | For “Do bakeries need Natasha’s Law labels for every product?”, “Wholesale to other shops may be fully prepacked rules” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
Labelling only the “allergen heavy” cakes
A plain sponge can still contain wheat, egg and milk. If it is PPDS, it needs a full list.
Go deeper
Next: Bakeries industry guide. Cakes, brownies, cookies and pastries. Then paste your ingredients into the free generator and confirm allergens before you print.
Questions
Do doughnuts on an open tray need PPDS labels?
What about sliced bread bagged at 6am?
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
- Food allergen labelling and information requirements technical guidanceFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
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