Allergen Labelling 101 (Natasha’s Law) for Small Producers: Staying Compliant and Protecting Your Customers

As a small food producer, you want to delight your customers – and that means keeping them safe, too. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the new allergen labelling rules, you’re not alone.

Natasha’s Law (the nickname for recent allergen labelling requirements UK regulators introduced) imposes strict guidelines for listing allergens on foods you prepare and sell, and it has left many small business owners wondering where to start (​food.gov.uk).

Don’t worry: this friendly guide will break down what Natasha’s Law is, what counts as prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food, and how to create labels that keep your customers safe while keeping your business compliant.

By the end, you’ll understand the ins and outs of the allergen labelling requirements in the UK and have practical steps to tackle them. We’ll also show how modern tools like FoodSafe can make food allergen compliance easier, so you can focus on what you love – making great food – knowing your labels have you covered.

What is Natasha’s Law?

Natasha’s Law refers to the changes in UK allergen labelling regulations that came into effect on 1 October 2021. It’s named after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, a teenager who tragically died in 2016 from an allergic reaction to an undeclared ingredient in a prepacked food. In response, the UK government decided that certain foods must display full ingredient and allergen information on their packaging from October 2021 onward​ (food.gov.uk).

In a nutshell, if you produce prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) foods (we’ll define this next), you are required to label them with the product name and a complete ingredients list, with any major allergens in the ingredients clearly highlighted​food.gov.uk. This requirement applies to any food business selling PPDS foods – yes, that includes small producers like you, not just big companies. The goal is to provide potentially life-saving allergen information to consumers upfront on the packaging​.

Before Natasha’s Law, businesses could inform customers about allergens by any means (even verbally), but now allergen info must be printed on the label for PPDS foods. This change aims to prevent tragedies by ensuring that people with allergies have the information they need at a glance, without having to ask staff. It’s a win for customer safety, but it does mean new responsibilities for producers – especially small ones who might not have had to label products in such detail before.

What Foods Count as PPDS (Prepacked for Direct Sale)?

“Prepacked for Direct Sale” (PPDS) foods are items that you package up in advance (before a customer buys them) on the same premises where they are sold. In other words, if you or your staff put the food into packaging (e.g. a wrapper, box, or plastic container) before handing it to the customer, and you’re selling it at the same place, it’s likely PPDS (​food.gov.uk). The package can be something as simple as a lidded takeaway cup or a sealed cling-wrap – if the food is in that package before the customer picks it, that food is prepacked for direct sale.

PPDS foods can cover a lot of what small producers do. For instance, a café that pre-wraps sandwiches or bakery treats in the morning to sell later, or a burger joint that keeps pre-packaged burgers under a hot lamp for quick service, are both selling PPDS foods​.

PPDS also includes foods you pack and then sell at a different site under the same business – say you bottle your homemade sauces or jams in your kitchen, then sell them at a farmers’ market stall yourself. Even free samples that you pre-package (like sealed cookie samples you hand out) count as PPDS.

Essentially, if you made it, packed it, and are selling it directly (even if the selling happens at a market or event), it falls under Natasha’s Law.

On the other hand, foods packed only after a customer orders (like a deli sandwich made to order and wrapped in front of the customer) are not PPDS – those are considered non-prepacked at the point of sale, so you can provide allergen info by other means (for example, verbally or on a menu)​.

Also, if you supply food to another business to sell, that’s treated as “prepacked” (full retail labelling required under existing laws) rather than PPDS. But if you’re selling your goods directly to the public and you prepack them, Natasha’s Law is talking about you.

What Must Be on a PPDS Label?

Natasha’s Law spells out exactly what information you need to put on the label of a PPDS product. The good news is it’s pretty straightforward. Every PPDS food item you sell needs a label with:​

• Product Name – The name of the food (e.g. “Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownie”). Make it clear and specific to what the item actually is.

• Full Ingredients List – A complete list of all ingredients in the product, in descending order by weight (just like the ingredient labels on any packaged food in a supermarket). This list should include every component of the item. For example, if you list “chocolate” as an ingredient, you should in parentheses list the ingredients of that chocolate (e.g. “chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, cocoa mass…)”) since those are part of your product too.

• Emphasized Allergens – Within the ingredients list, you must highlight any of the 14 major allergens if they are present. Typically, this is done by bold text (for example: “milk”, “egg”, “wheat” in bold type) or a different style that clearly sets the allergen apart​. The 14 allergens that must be declared by law include common triggers like peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat (gluten), and others. If any of these are in your ingredients – even as part of a compound ingredient – make sure they’re unmistakable on the label.

  
  

Keep in mind that the label should be legible (easy to read font, enough contrast, etc.) and in English. You don’t need to list all nutritional info or anything beyond the name and ingredients with allergens for Natasha’s Law compliance, but you still have to follow general food labelling rules on things like truthful naming and not being misleading​. For most small producers, the focus will be on getting that name and ingredients list right.

 A sample PPDS label on a packaged sandwich, listing the sandwich name and all its ingredients. Allergens (here Milk in the cheese and butter) are bolded to ensure they stand out. 

Even a simple sticker label like this provides critical information at a glance. By creating similar clear labels for your products, you help customers with allergies quickly see if they can safely enjoy your food. It’s a little extra work upfront, but it greatly reduces the risk for someone with an allergy and shows that you care about your customers’ well-being. In fact, providing accurate allergen info isn’t just about law compliance – it’s about trust and safety between you and your customers.

Why Has Natasha’s Law Been Challenging for Small Producers?

If you’re running a small business, you might be thinking, “This sounds important – but wow, it also sounds complicated!” You’re not alone. Implementing Natasha’s Law has been a bit daunting for many small producers. Here are some common challenges and pain points:

• Understanding the New Rules – The definition of PPDS, the exact label requirements, the list of 14 allergens – it’s a lot to take in, especially if you don’t have a regulatory background. It’s not always obvious which of your products count as PPDS or how exactly to format an ingredients list. In fact, the Food Standards Agency had to create decision tools and guidance to help businesses figure out if they fall under the PPDS requirements and how to comply. If you weren’t aware of Natasha’s Law until recently, you might have found yourself scrambling to learn the details. And unlike big companies, you might not have a compliance officer to interpret the regulations for you, so it’s on your plate to understand the fine print.

• Process Changes and Extra Work – Prior to these new rules, a small café or bakery could simply answer customers’ allergen questions verbally or put up an allergen notice. Now, you have to create printed labels for every item, which is a significant change in workflow. This can be tricky to integrate into your daily routine. For example, if you’re used to quickly wrapping up a bunch of sandwiches and putting them out for sale, adding a step to produce and apply labels for each sandwich is an adjustment. It’s easy to see how mistakes might happen during busy times (like forgetting to label one batch of sandwiches), especially without a well-established process in place.

• Cost of Compliance – Let’s face it, compliance can cost money. Many small businesses have had to invest in label printers, software, or new packaging to meet the allergen labelling requirements. Even if you only sell a few products, you might need to buy ingredients labels or pay for printing. If you have dozens of products, the cost of designing and printing labels for each one – and updating them whenever a recipe changes – can add up. For a small business on a tight budget, these costs (in both money and time) can be a real barrier. It’s not just the labels themselves; it’s also the labour involved in managing all this new information.

• Recipe Changes and Variations – Small producers are often very creative and flexible with their offerings – you might tweak a recipe, change suppliers, or introduce seasonal flavors frequently. However, every time you change an ingredient, you need to ensure the allergen info on the label is updated. This means your labels and records need constant maintenance. For example, imagine you normally make a soup that doesn’t contain celery, but one day you switch stock powder and the new stock has celery in it – under Natasha’s Law, the presence of celery (a major allergen) must now be reflected on the soup’s label. Many small businesses have found it challenging to keep track of these kinds of changes, especially without a solid system. It requires vigilance to avoid slip-ups like using an old label template that doesn’t list a new allergen.

• Limited Time and Resources – If you’re a micro-business or small start-up, you’re likely wearing multiple hats: you might be the head chef, procurement manager, and sales director all in one. Dedicating time to allergen compliance – gathering supplier info, maintaining an allergen matrix, printing labels daily – can feel overwhelming when you’re already stretched thin. Unlike larger companies, you probably don’t have dedicated staff solely for compliance or quality assurance. This means the burden of Natasha’s Law compliance falls on the same few people (often just you), on top of everything else. Learning the regulations and setting up a compliant system is a project that takes time – time that’s hard to find when orders need to be filled and bills need to be paid.

  
  

The bottom line is that Natasha’s Law small business compliance can be challenging not because small producers don’t care (you all care deeply about your customers’ safety), but because it introduces new complexities and costs that take some effort to manage. The good news is that with a bit of organization (and help from the right tools), these challenges can be overcome.

Simple Steps for Small Producers to Comply with Allergen Labelling

Now that we’ve covered the what and why, let’s focus on the how. Getting compliant with allergen labelling requirements (UK Natasha’s Law) might seem complicated, but you can tackle it step by step. Here’s a practical roadmap:

1. Review and Document All Your Recipes. Start by writing down every recipe for every product you sell. For each item, list all ingredients that go into it – down to the cooking oil, spices, condiments, etc. If you’ve been eyeballing a few things or using “secret” family recipes, now is the time to get them on paper (or in a digital file). Once you have the full ingredients list, identify which ingredients contain any of the 14 major allergens. Mark those allergens clearly (underline or highlight them in your recipe notes). This process might reveal some surprises – for instance, that spice mix you use for your curry contains mustard, or your gluten-free flour blend contains soy. By thoroughly updating your recipes, you create a single source of truth for what’s in your products. This will make the next steps much easier, since your labels will be based directly on these written recipes. (Bonus: having your recipes documented is great for consistency in product quality too!)

2. Gather Allergen Info from Your Suppliers. Small food manufacturers often use ingredients or components made by someone else – maybe a sauce, a seasoning, or a premix. To label your own products correctly, you need to know what’s in those ingredients as well. Reach out to your suppliers and get the specification sheets or labels for each ingredient you buy. These spec sheets usually list if any major allergens are present (or if there’s a risk of cross-contamination). For example, if you buy pastry shells from a wholesaler, their info might tell you “Contains: Wheat, Egg. May contain traces of Nuts and Sesame.” Keep a file (digital or a folder) with all this supplier-provided information. Managing supplier data is key – if they change their ingredients, you need to know so you can update your labels. Make it a habit to ask suppliers for updates or check periodically for any recipe changes on their end. Keeping an open line of communication with suppliers ensures you’re never in the dark about an allergen that could sneak into your product via an ingredient. In short, manage your supplier data proactively: know your ingredients inside and out, not just the ones you mix yourself but the ones you source from others.

3. Create an Allergen Tracking System (Allergen Matrix). Once you have your recipes and supplier info, you’ll end up with a lot of allergen data. Now you need to organize that data in a way that’s easy to use. One tried-and-true tool is an allergen matrix. This is essentially a table or spreadsheet where you list all your products (e.g. down the rows) and all the major allergens (across the columns), and then mark which allergens appear in each product. For example, for a product like “Grandma’s Apple Pie,” you would tick the columns for “Gluten” (from wheat flour) and “Milk” (if you use butter), and maybe “Egg” (if there’s egg wash on the crust). By doing this for every product, you create a bird’s-eye view of your allergen situation. The allergen matrix is incredibly handy: you can refer to it when designing labels, use it to train staff (“See, these three products contain nuts, the others don’t,” etc.), and show it to inspectors or auditors as proof of your allergen management. You can create one in a spreadsheet program, or even draw a table on paper – whatever works for you. The key is to keep it updated. Whenever you introduce a new product or change an ingredient, update your allergen matrix. It’s a living document that will serve as your quick-reference allergen bible.

4. Design and Print Your Labels. Now comes the final step: putting all that information onto your product labels in a clear, compliant way. Using your recipes and allergen matrix, create a label template for each product. It should have the product name and the full ingredient list with allergens in bold (as we described earlier). Many small producers use a computer to do this – for example, you can use Word or an online label maker to type out the info. If you have a lot of products, investing in a small label printer might be worthwhile; but if not, even printing on regular paper and sticking it on, or handwriting on pre-printed blank labels, can work as long as it’s neat and legible. The label needs to be attached to the product before it’s sold – remember, if the food is packaged and on your shelf for sale, the label should already be on it. Establish a routine: for instance, every morning after you pack your foods, you immediately apply the correct labels to each item. Double-check that the right label goes on the right product (you don’t want to accidentally put a cake label on a pie, for example). If you have employees, train them on this labelling process so everyone knows how crucial it is to get it right. It may help to keep a binder or digital folder with “master” label printouts for each product as a reference. This way, if there’s ever any doubt, you can quickly verify what should be on the label. Finally, don’t forget to update the labels if you change a recipe or supplier. It’s a good idea to review your labels against your current recipes maybe every few months, just to ensure they’re still accurate. Once your labelling system is in place, it will become a routine part of your operations. And seeing those labels on your products will give you confidence that you’re providing safe, transparent information to your customers.

   
   

Following these steps will put you well on your way to complying with Natasha’s Law. It might feel like a lot at first, but each step reinforces the next: your detailed recipes feed into supplier checks, which feed into your allergen matrix, which in turn makes labelling easier. It’s all about building a workflow for allergen management that food manufacturers of any size can maintain consistently. And remember, you don’t have to do it all alone or all manually – that’s where tools like FoodSafe come in to make the process more efficient.

How FoodSafe Can Help Streamline Allergen Management

All these record-keeping and labelling tasks might have you thinking, “Isn’t there an easier way to handle this?” The answer is yes – technology can be a huge help. FoodSafe’s software is designed with exactly these challenges in mind, simplifying allergen management for food manufacturers and small producers. Here’s how FoodSafe can support you in staying compliant:

• Customizable Record Sheets for Supplier Approval/Product Recall's: FoodSafe’s Record Sheets module can act like a digital logbook for all your approved suppliers. You can customize these record sheets to include fields for anything you need – for example, you could create columns to track your suppliers food certifications, ad tick off which certifications that supplier has achieved. When you enter your supplier information, you’re building up your database. You can also log any other notes you find useful. By having all this information in FoodSafe, you don’t have to flip through paper files or spreadsheets – it’s all searchable and stored in one place. When you switch to a new supplier, you can update the record sheet in real time.

• Automatic Allergen Mapping with the Traceability Module: One of the most powerful features for allergen management is FoodSafe’s Traceability module. Once you’ve logged your raw materials, built your recipes and entered your ingredients, the traceability tool can automatically build an allergen matrix for your finished products. Here’s how it works: you define your Product Information in FoodSafe adding the name/barcode etc. Next you build out the recipe by selecting the ingredients (from your raw materials list) and their quantities. You add the recipe instructions and Product Specifications and then you select which out of the 14 allergens are included in this product. As you do so, the software instantly compiles the list of allergens present in the final product. It then generates a visual allergen matrix showing that information. This is incredibly useful when you’re creating labels or if you want to double-check your products. If you need to change an ingredient in the recipe (say you switch to a dairy-free margarine), you can simply update and adjust the allergen info accordingly. FoodSafe essentially maintains an up-to-date allergen matrix behind the scenes, saving you the task of constantly updating spreadsheets. With the Traceability module, you can quickly pull up any product and see which allergens it contains, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.

  
  

In short, FoodSafe’s software is like having a digital assistant for allergen compliance. It reduces the chance of human error (which is a big deal when a small mistake can have serious consequences for an allergic customer) and saves you time by automating repetitive tasks. Instead of spending hours cross-referencing ingredients and rewriting labels whenever something changes, you can let FoodSafe handle the heavy lifting and alert you to what needs to be on each label. Plus, having all your allergen information organized and traceable in the system means you’re always ready for an inspection or an audit – you can easily show how you record ingredients and trace allergens in your products.

Conclusion: Protecting Your Customers and Your Business

Complying with Natasha’s Law might feel like a hassle at first, but it ultimately comes down to doing what’s right for your customers. Clear allergen labelling saves lives – it’s as simple as that. As a small producer, you thrive on customer trust and loyalty, and one of the best ways to build that trust is by being transparent and proactive about food safety and allergens. When a customer with an allergy picks up your product and sees a clear label, they know you’ve got their back.

Getting there requires some effort: organizing recipes, managing supplier info, tracking allergens, and creating labels. But with a systematic approach (and perhaps a bit of tech assistance), it becomes just another part of your routine. Take it one step at a time, and don’t hesitate to lean on tools like FoodSafe to make the job easier. FoodSafe is built to help businesses like yours stay on top of allergen labelling without losing your mind – or your creative spark in the kitchen. By using FoodSafe’s allergen management features, you can save time and reduce stress, all while knowing your compliance bases are covered.

In the end, staying compliant means you’re looking out for your customers’ well-being and protecting your business from risk. That’s truly a win-win. So, embrace the process, get your allergen labels in shape, and keep doing what you do best: making delicious products that people can enjoy with confidence.

And if you need a helping hand, remember that FoodSafe is here to support you in keeping your products safe and your food allergen compliance on track. Happy making – and safe labelling!

If you’re ready to simplify your allergen labelling and compliance, consider giving FoodSafe a try. Our tools are tailored for small businesses, making tasks like tracking ingredients and printing compliant labels a breeze. Let FoodSafe help you protect your customers and your business – try out the software for free to see how it can transform your allergen management process.

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