Guide
How to label brownies and traybakes
Boxed or wrapped brownies packed before selection are classic PPDS. Butter (milk), eggs, wheat and dark chocolate (often soya lecithin) are the default allergen set — toppings add more.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
Boxed or wrapped brownies packed before selection are classic PPDS. Butter (milk), eggs, wheat and dark chocolate (often soya lecithin) are the default allergen set — toppings add more.
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
Boxed or wrapped brownies packed before selection are classic PPDS. Butter (milk), eggs, wheat and dark chocolate (often soya lecithin) are the default allergen set — toppings add more. 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: Many dark chocolates contain soya lecithin. Read the spec.
- Start from the recipe weights
- Break out chocolate and caramel layers
- Declare nuts if used as topping or flour
- Reprint when you swap chocolate brands
Worked example
Worked example for “How to label brownies and traybakes”: take one real SKU you sell this week. Apply the first check — start from the recipe weights. Then contrast it with break out chocolate and caramel layers. 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. (Boxed or wrapped brownies packed before selection are classic PPDS.)
Checklist before you print
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Start from the recipe weights | For “How to label brownies and traybakes”, “Start from the recipe weights” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Break out chocolate and caramel layers | For “How to label brownies and traybakes”, “Break out chocolate and caramel layers” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Declare nuts if used as topping or flour | For “How to label brownies and traybakes”, “Declare nuts if used as topping or flour” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Reprint when you swap chocolate brands | For “How to label brownies and traybakes”, “Reprint when you swap chocolate brands” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
Assuming dark chocolate is allergen-free
Many dark chocolates contain soya lecithin. Read the spec.
Go deeper
Next: Chocolate brownie example. The standard teaching label. Then paste your ingredients into the free generator and confirm allergens before you print.
Questions
Do traybake slices under a dome need labels?
What about gluten-free brownies?
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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