Guide
Do pubs need PPDS labels?
Yes, when you pack food before customers choose it — fridge pies, wrapped sandwiches, sealed bar snacks. Made-to-order meals from the kitchen usually follow loose-food allergen information rules instead.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
Yes, when you pack food before customers choose it — fridge pies, wrapped sandwiches, sealed bar snacks. Made-to-order meals from the kitchen usually follow loose-food allergen information rules instead.
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
Yes, when you pack food before customers choose it — fridge pies, wrapped sandwiches, sealed bar snacks. Made-to-order meals from the kitchen usually follow loose-food allergen information rules instead. 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: A wall matrix helps staff. It does not replace the ingredients list on a wrapped pack.
- Wrapped sandwiches and pies in the fridge are typical PPDS
- Open plates plated to order are usually not PPDS
- Bar snacks sealed before service need a name and ingredients list
- Ask your local authority about edge cases
Worked example
Worked example for “Do pubs need PPDS labels?”: take one real SKU you sell this week. Apply the first check — wrapped sandwiches and pies in the fridge are typical PPDS. Then contrast it with open plates plated to order are 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. (Yes, when you pack food before customers choose it — fridge pies, wrapped sandwiches, sealed bar snacks.)
Checklist before you print
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Wrapped sandwiches and pies in the fridge are typical PPDS | For “Do pubs need PPDS labels?”, “Wrapped sandwiches and pies in the fridge are typical PPDS” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Open plates plated to order are usually not PPDS | For “Do pubs need PPDS labels?”, “Open plates plated to order are usually not PPDS” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Bar snacks sealed before service need a name and ingredients list | For “Do pubs need PPDS labels?”, “Bar snacks sealed before service need a name and ingredients list” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Ask your local authority about edge cases | For “Do pubs need PPDS labels?”, “Ask your local authority about edge cases” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
Using the menu matrix as the pack label
A wall matrix helps staff. It does not replace the ingredients list on a wrapped pack.
Go deeper
Next: Pubs industry guide. Grab-and-go packs and bar food that is wrapped ahead. Then paste your ingredients into the free generator and confirm allergens before you print.
Questions
Do roast dinners need PPDS labels?
What about pork scratchings from a supplier?
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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