Guide
How to label frozen PPDS food
Freezing does not remove Natasha’s Law duties. If food is packed before selection and sold by you from the same premises, it still needs name and ingredients with allergens emphasised — frozen or chilled.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
Freezing does not remove Natasha’s Law duties. If food is packed before selection and sold by you from the same premises, it still needs name and ingredients with allergens emphasised — frozen or chilled.
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
Freezing does not remove Natasha’s Law duties. If food is packed before selection and sold by you from the same premises, it still needs name and ingredients with allergens emphasised — frozen or chilled. 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: Your PPDS packs still need the PPDS minimums.
- Apply the same PPDS packing test
- Use adhesives that survive the freezer
- Keep text legible on frost-prone packs
- Update labels when recipes change
Worked example
Worked example for “How to label frozen PPDS food”: take one real SKU you sell this week. Apply the first check — apply the same PPDS packing test. Then contrast it with use adhesives that survive the freezer. 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. (Freezing does not remove Natasha’s Law duties.)
Checklist before you print
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Apply the same PPDS packing test | For “How to label frozen PPDS food”, “Apply the same PPDS packing test” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Use adhesives that survive the freezer | For “How to label frozen PPDS food”, “Use adhesives that survive the freezer” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Keep text legible on frost-prone packs | For “How to label frozen PPDS food”, “Keep text legible on frost-prone packs” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Update labels when recipes change | For “How to label frozen PPDS food”, “Update labels when recipes change” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
Assuming frozen food follows supermarket-only rules
Your PPDS packs still need the PPDS minimums.
Go deeper
Next: PPDS hub. What counts as prepacked for direct sale. Then paste your ingredients into the free generator and confirm allergens before you print.
Questions
Do I need a use-by on every frozen PPDS pot?
Can I use the chilled label artwork unchanged?
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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