Guide
How to label protein balls and energy bites
Sealed protein balls packed before selection need PPDS labels. Dates, oats, nut butters, whey and soya protein are common allergen sources.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
Sealed protein balls packed before selection need PPDS labels. Dates, oats, nut butters, whey and soya protein are common allergen sources.
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
Sealed protein balls packed before selection need PPDS labels. Dates, oats, nut butters, whey and soya protein are common allergen sources. 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: Peanut butter is still peanut.
- List binders and proteins
- Emphasise nuts, peanuts, milk, soya, oats as present
- Watch sesame and sulphites in dried fruit
- Different flavours need different lists
Worked example
Worked example for “How to label protein balls and energy bites”: take one real SKU you sell this week. Apply the first check — list binders and proteins. Then contrast it with emphasise nuts, peanuts, milk, soya, oats as present. 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. (Sealed protein balls packed before selection need PPDS labels.)
Checklist before you print
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| List binders and proteins | For “How to label protein balls and energy bites”, “List binders and proteins” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Emphasise nuts, peanuts, milk, soya, oats as present | For “How to label protein balls and energy bites”, “Emphasise nuts, peanuts, milk, soya, oats as present” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Watch sesame and sulphites in dried fruit | For “How to label protein balls and energy bites”, “Watch sesame and sulphites in dried fruit” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Different flavours need different lists | For “How to label protein balls and energy bites”, “Different flavours need different lists” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
Assuming “natural” means no allergens
Peanut butter is still peanut.
Go deeper
Next: Peanuts. Nut butter traps. Then paste your ingredients into the free generator and confirm allergens before you print.
Questions
Do I need nutrition tables?
What about collagen bites?
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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