| Allergen labelling laws for prepacked direct sale (PPDS) foods From Friday 1 October 2021, the requirements for labelling prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food will change across the UK as a new law comes into force. ‘Natasha’s law’, named after Natasha Edan-Laperhouse, the teenager who died at the age of 15 on a British Airways flight from a severe allergic reaction, is aimed to protect consumers by providing potentially life-saving allergen information on packaging. The new law applies to any food businesses that produce PPDS food including: bakers butchers mobile sellers street vendors fast food restaurants take away restaurants schools and nurseries colleges and universities event caterers cafes pubs PPDS food is food that is packaged at the same place it is offered to consumers. It is a single item, consisting of the food and its packaging, that is ready for presentation to the consumer before it is ordered or selected. This may mean changes to labelling for foods such as pizza or sandwiches which are packaged on the premises before the consumer orders them. Any food business selling PPDS food will be required to label it with the name of the food and a full list of ingredients with allergenic ingredients emphasised within the list. Food that is NOT PPDS: Any food that is not in packaging or is packaged after being ordered by the consumer. These are types of non-prepacked food and do not require a label with name, ingredients and allergens emphasised. Allergen information must still be provided but this can be done through other means, including orally. Food packed by one business and supplied to another business. This is prepacked food and already must have full labelling, including the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with allergenic ingredients emphasised within it. Guidance as to how the new law affects your business and a dedicated toolkit to support local businesses have been produced by the council’s Environmental Health team. |
| Watch the video by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Changes to food allergen information from 1 October – what you need to know. |
