Guide
Do restaurants need PPDS labels for takeaway?
Takeaway packed after the order is usually not classic PPDS. Grab-and-go desserts or sides sealed before customers choose them usually are. Online ordering does not remove pack duties on food that is already PPDS.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
Takeaway packed after the order is usually not classic PPDS. Grab-and-go desserts or sides sealed before customers choose them usually are. Online ordering does not remove pack duties on food that is already PPDS.
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
Takeaway packed after the order is usually not classic PPDS. Grab-and-go desserts or sides sealed before customers choose them usually are. Online ordering does not remove pack duties on food that is already PPDS. 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: PPDS particulars need to appear on the pack. A QR code may supplement; it does not replace the list.
- Cooked to order takeaway = usually not PPDS
- Prepacked fridge desserts = usually PPDS
- Distance selling can require allergen information before purchase
- Never use “may contain” instead of listing ingredients on PPDS packs
Worked example
Worked example for “Do restaurants need PPDS labels for takeaway?”: take one real SKU you sell this week. Apply the first check — cooked to order takeaway = usually not PPDS. Then contrast it with prepacked fridge desserts = usually 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. (Takeaway packed after the order is usually not classic PPDS.)
Checklist before you print
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Cooked to order takeaway = usually not PPDS | For “Do restaurants need PPDS labels for takeaway?”, “Cooked to order takeaway = usually not PPDS” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Prepacked fridge desserts = usually PPDS | For “Do restaurants need PPDS labels for takeaway?”, “Prepacked fridge desserts = usually PPDS” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Distance selling can require allergen information before purchase | For “Do restaurants need PPDS labels for takeaway?”, “Distance selling can require allergen information before purchase” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Never use “may contain” instead of listing ingredients on PPDS packs | For “Do restaurants need PPDS labels for takeaway?”, “Never use “may contain” instead of listing ingredients on PPDS packs” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
Sticking a QR code instead of ingredients
PPDS particulars need to appear on the pack. A QR code may supplement; it does not replace the list.
Go deeper
Next: Distance selling. Pre-order information and pack labelling. Then paste your ingredients into the free generator and confirm allergens before you print.
Questions
Do doggy bags need labels?
What about set menus boxed for collection?
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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