Guide
Is a wrap PPDS?
A wrap sealed or tightly enclosed before the customer chooses it is usually PPDS. A wrap assembled after the customer orders is usually not. The packing-before-selection test decides, not the word wrap.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
A wrap sealed or tightly enclosed before the customer chooses it is usually PPDS. A wrap assembled after the customer orders is usually not. The packing-before-selection test decides, not the word wrap.
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
A wrap sealed or tightly enclosed before the customer chooses it is usually PPDS. A wrap assembled after the customer orders is usually not. The packing-before-selection test decides, not the word wrap. 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: Temperature does not decide PPDS. Packing before selection does.
- Sealed ahead for the fridge → usually PPDS
- Made to order after the ask → usually not
- Fillings drive allergens as much as the tortilla
- Tortillas often contain wheat
Worked example
Worked example for “Is a wrap PPDS?”: take one real SKU you sell this week. Apply the first check — sealed ahead for the fridge → usually PPDS. Then contrast it with made to order after the ask → usually not. 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. (A wrap sealed or tightly enclosed before the customer chooses it is usually PPDS.)
Checklist before you print
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Sealed ahead for the fridge → usually PPDS | For “Is a wrap PPDS?”, “Sealed ahead for the fridge → usually PPDS” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Made to order after the ask → usually not | For “Is a wrap PPDS?”, “Made to order after the ask → usually not” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Fillings drive allergens as much as the tortilla | For “Is a wrap PPDS?”, “Fillings drive allergens as much as the tortilla” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Tortillas often contain wheat | For “Is a wrap PPDS?”, “Tortillas often contain wheat” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
Treating every wrap as exempt because it is hot
Temperature does not decide PPDS. Packing before selection does.
Go deeper
Next: Café sandwich labelling. Same packing test. Then paste your ingredients into the free generator and confirm allergens before you print.
Questions
Do tortilla allergens matter if fillings are allergen-free?
What about open-ended burritos in foil?
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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