Guide
Is a salad pot PPDS?
Yes when the pot is filled and sealed before customers choose it. Open salad bars where customers build bowls are usually not PPDS for each serving.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
Yes when the pot is filled and sealed before customers choose it. Open salad bars where customers build bowls are usually not PPDS for each serving.
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 the pot is filled and sealed before customers choose it. Open salad bars where customers build bowls are usually not PPDS for each serving. 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: The dressing and toppings are ingredients too.
- Sealed pot ahead of selection → PPDS
- Self-serve salad bar → usually not PPDS
- Dressing inside the pot belongs on the list
- Watch mayonnaise, cheese and croutons
Worked example
Worked example for “Is a salad pot PPDS?”: take one real SKU you sell this week. Apply the first check — sealed pot ahead of selection → PPDS. Then contrast it with self-serve salad bar → 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 the pot is filled and sealed before customers choose it.)
Checklist before you print
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Sealed pot ahead of selection → PPDS | For “Is a salad pot PPDS?”, “Sealed pot ahead of selection → PPDS” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Self-serve salad bar → usually not PPDS | For “Is a salad pot PPDS?”, “Self-serve salad bar → usually not PPDS” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Dressing inside the pot belongs on the list | For “Is a salad pot PPDS?”, “Dressing inside the pot belongs on the list” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Watch mayonnaise, cheese and croutons | For “Is a salad pot PPDS?”, “Watch mayonnaise, cheese and croutons” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
Labelling only the leaves
The dressing and toppings are ingredients too.
Go deeper
Next: Caesar salad example. A worked sealed salad label. Then paste your ingredients into the free generator and confirm allergens before you print.
Questions
Does a clear lid change anything?
What if lids are snapped on after the customer picks a pot from open tubs?
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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