Guide
What is the difference between PPDS and Natasha’s Law?
PPDS describes the category of food — prepacked for direct sale. Natasha’s Law is the everyday name for the allergen labelling rules that apply to that category: name of the food plus a full ingredients list with the 14 allergens emphasised.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
PPDS describes the category of food — prepacked for direct sale. Natasha’s Law is the everyday name for the allergen labelling rules that apply to that category: name of the food plus a full ingredients list with the 14 allergens emphasised.
Use the Food Standards Agency PPDS materials on GOV.UK for the core duty, then confirm awkward cases with your local authority.
How to apply it
PPDS describes the category of food — prepacked for direct sale. Natasha’s Law is the everyday name for the allergen labelling rules that apply to that category: name of the food plus a full ingredients list with the 14 allergens emphasised. Use the Food Standards Agency PPDS materials on GOV.UK for the core duty, then confirm awkward cases with your local authority. Walk the product in front of you against the checklist below before you print. The mistake to refuse is: It tightened labelling for PPDS food.
- PPDS = the food category
- Natasha’s Law = the common name for the PPDS allergen labelling duty
- Same packs, same core particulars
- Other food information rules can still apply
Worked example
Worked example for “What is the difference between PPDS and Natasha’s Law?”: take one real SKU you sell this week. Apply the first check — pPDS = the food category. Then contrast it with natasha’s Law = the common name for the PPDS allergen labelling duty. 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. (PPDS describes the category of food — prepacked for direct sale.)
Checklist before you print
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| PPDS = the food category | For “What is the difference between PPDS and Natasha’s Law?”, “PPDS = the food category” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Natasha’s Law = the common name for the PPDS allergen labelling duty | For “What is the difference between PPDS and Natasha’s Law?”, “Natasha’s Law = the common name for the PPDS allergen labelling duty” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Same packs, same core particulars | For “What is the difference between PPDS and Natasha’s Law?”, “Same packs, same core particulars” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Other food information rules can still apply | For “What is the difference between PPDS and Natasha’s Law?”, “Other food information rules can still apply” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
Thinking Natasha’s Law created a totally separate food category
It tightened labelling for PPDS food.
Go deeper
Next: What is Natasha’s Law?. The everyday name explained. Then paste your ingredients into the free generator and confirm allergens before you print.
Questions
Is every prepacked food PPDS?
Do I need both terms on my label?
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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