PPDS labelling: a step-by-step compliance guide

PPDS labelling looks daunting from the outside — legal language, fourteen allergens, and the feeling that one mistake could be serious. In practice it breaks down into seven repeatable steps. Work through them once, set up a routine, and it becomes part of normal prep.

Step 1 — Work out which of your items are PPDS

Walk your counter and chiller and ask one question of every item: was this packed before the customer ordered it, here on these premises? If yes, it is prepacked for direct sale and needs a full label. Morning-wrapped sandwiches, grab-and-go salad pots, boxed traybakes and bagged pastries are in; made-to-order food is out (though you must still give allergen information another way). List every PPDS item — this is your labelling workload.

Step 2 — Gather supplier specification sheets

For every bought-in ingredient, get the supplier's specification or allergen declaration — most wholesalers publish them, and your supplier rep can send the rest. This is the single most important step: labels written from memory are how hidden allergens (the barley malt in a vinegar, the celery in a stock) slip through. File the specs and note the date.

Step 3 — Break every product into its full ingredient list

List each PPDS product's ingredients in descending order of weight, expanding compound ingredients into their sub-ingredients. “Pesto” is not an ingredient for labelling purposes — “basil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese (milk), olive oil, garlic” is.

Step 4 — Emphasise the 14 allergens

Wherever one of the 14 regulated allergens appears in that list, make it stand out — bold, CAPITALS, or both is the convention. Emphasise the allergen wherever it occurs, including inside sub-ingredients. A “Contains:” summary underneath is good practice and what customers look for first.

Step 5 — Print and attach the labels

• The label goes on the packaging itself, readable before purchase.
• Include the food's name at the top, then the ingredient list.
• Add a use-by date, storage instructions and your business name.
• Keep the type legible — tiny print that can't be read fails the purpose (and there are minimum font-size rules for larger packs).

Step 6 — Keep labels in sync with reality

The label must describe what is actually in the batch you are selling today. Whenever a recipe changes, a supplier substitutes a product, or you run out of one brand and use another, check the spec and reprint before the item goes on sale. Out-of-date labels are worse than none — they are confidently wrong.

Step 7 — Train the team and keep evidence

Everyone who packs or sells PPDS food should know what the labels mean, where the allergen matrix lives, and what to do when a customer declares an allergy (always flag it, never guess). Keep your supplier specs, dated matrix and label templates together — that folder is your evidence of due diligence if an inspector asks.

Doing this without the paperwork spiral

Steps 3–6 are where small businesses burn hours, because every change ripples through labels, matrix and menu. AllerSafe automates the ripple: build each dish from an ingredient library once, and compliant PPDS labels, your 14-allergen matrix and a live QR allergen menu are all generated from the same data. Update the ingredient, and every label and document updates with it.

Try it free for 14 days (no card required), see a live example menu, or start with the free matrix template.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Requirements are set by the Food Information Regulations and FSA guidance — check the current versions, and verify all allergen information against supplier specifications. Your business remains responsible for compliance.