Guide
Do care homes need PPDS labels?
Sealed snacks or meals packed before residents or visitors choose them can be PPDS. Meals plated in the dining room to order usually need accurate allergen information rather than a pack label. External caterers remain responsible for food they pack.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
Sealed snacks or meals packed before residents or visitors choose them can be PPDS. Meals plated in the dining room to order usually need accurate allergen information rather than a pack label. External caterers remain responsible for food they pack.
Decide PPDS using the FSA packing-before-selection test, then put name and ingredients with allergen emphasis on packs that meet it.
How to apply it
Sealed snacks or meals packed before residents or visitors choose them can be PPDS. Meals plated in the dining room to order usually need accurate allergen information rather than a pack label. External caterers remain responsible for food they pack. Decide PPDS using the FSA packing-before-selection test, then put name and ingredients with allergen emphasis on packs that meet it. Walk the product in front of you against the checklist below before you print. The mistake to refuse is: Special diets matter, but PPDS packs still need correct name and ingredients with allergen emphasis.
- Sealed snack packs = often PPDS
- Plated dining-room meals = usually not PPDS packs
- Texture-modified foods still need accurate ingredients when packed
- Agency kitchens must not improvise labels
Worked example
Worked example for “Do care homes need PPDS labels?”: take one real SKU you sell this week. Apply the first check — sealed snack packs = often PPDS. Then contrast it with plated dining-room meals = usually not PPDS packs. 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. (Sealed snacks or meals packed before residents or visitors choose them can be PPDS.)
Checklist before you print
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Sealed snack packs = often PPDS | For “Do care homes need PPDS labels?”, “Sealed snack packs = often PPDS” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Plated dining-room meals = usually not PPDS packs | For “Do care homes need PPDS labels?”, “Plated dining-room meals = usually not PPDS packs” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Texture-modified foods still need accurate ingredients when packed | For “Do care homes need PPDS labels?”, “Texture-modified foods still need accurate ingredients when packed” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Agency kitchens must not improvise labels | For “Do care homes need PPDS labels?”, “Agency kitchens must not improvise labels” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
Assuming clinical diets replace food information law
Special diets matter, but PPDS packs still need correct name and ingredients with allergen emphasis.
Go deeper
Next: Who enforces Natasha’s Law?. Local authority food teams and how to prepare. Then paste your ingredients into the free generator and confirm allergens before you print.
Questions
Do fortified milkshakes I portion need labels?
Who is responsible if a contractor packs meals?
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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