Guide
Do prepacked sandwiches from a supplier need my label?
Bought-in sandwiches that arrive fully packed for retail usually keep the supplier’s label. If you unpack and reseal them, or add fillings, you may take on new labelling duties for the pack you create.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
Bought-in sandwiches that arrive fully packed for retail usually keep the supplier’s label. If you unpack and reseal them, or add fillings, you may take on new labelling duties for the pack you create.
Write the ingredients list from the recipe and supplier specs, in descending order of weight, then emphasise every Annex II allergen each time it appears.
How to apply it
Bought-in sandwiches that arrive fully packed for retail usually keep the supplier’s label. If you unpack and reseal them, or add fillings, you may take on new labelling duties for the pack you create. Write the ingredients list from the recipe and supplier specs, in descending order of weight, then emphasise every Annex II allergen each time it appears. Walk the product in front of you against the checklist below before you print. The mistake to refuse is: Someone’s particulars must be on that pack.
- Unopened supplier packs → supplier particulars
- Repacking → your particulars if PPDS
- Adding garnish means updating ingredients
- Keep supplier specs on file
Worked example
Worked example for “Do prepacked sandwiches from a supplier need my label?”: take one real SKU you sell this week. Apply the first check — unopened supplier packs → supplier particulars. Then contrast it with repacking → your particulars if 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. (Bought-in sandwiches that arrive fully packed for retail usually keep the supplier’s label.)
Checklist before you print
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Unopened supplier packs → supplier particulars | For “Do prepacked sandwiches from a supplier need my label?”, “Unopened supplier packs → supplier particulars” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Repacking → your particulars if PPDS | For “Do prepacked sandwiches from a supplier need my label?”, “Repacking → your particulars if PPDS” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Adding garnish means updating ingredients | For “Do prepacked sandwiches from a supplier need my label?”, “Adding garnish means updating ingredients” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Keep supplier specs on file | For “Do prepacked sandwiches from a supplier need my label?”, “Keep supplier specs on file” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
Peeling off the supplier label and selling unmarked
Someone’s particulars must be on that pack.
Go deeper
Next: PPDS vs prepacked. Who labels what. Then paste your ingredients into the free generator and confirm allergens before you print.
Questions
Can I sticker my logo over theirs?
What if I freeze supplier sandwiches?
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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