Introducing Natasha’s law – What this means for your business

Natasha’s law will come into effect on the 1st of October 2021 in the UK, impacting all businesses serving prepacked food to the wider public. The changes introduce further guidelines around allergen labelling to better serve consumers living with diagnosed food allergies, food intolerance and coeliac disease to provide safer ways for customers to buy their food.

 

What is Natasha’s law?

‘Natasha’s Law’ came to be following the death of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse caused by an allergic reaction to a prepacked food item lacking the relevant allergen labelling.

This led to a call for further guidance and signage for allergy risks to address and support those living with food hypersensitivity.

 

What changes are requested?

Food caterers will now be required to provide full ingredient lists and allergen labelling for prepacked foods for sale on-premises. 

 

What do I have to do?

The PPDS (Prepacked for Direct Sale) directs that food will have to display the following information on prepacked food:

• Name of the food
• Full ingredients list
• Emphasise the 14 allergens required to be declared by law within it (in bold, italics or a different colour)

The new requirements only apply to PPDS food sold directly (not purchased over the phone or online).

You can find more information here.

 

What’s the difference between prepacked (PPDS) and non-prepacked food?

In short, prepacked food is made by order and not prepared ahead of time.  

Prepacked food is:

• Packaged at the same place it’s offered or sold and is in this packaging before it is ordered or selected
• Presented for sale so that the contents can’t be altered without opening the packaging 

 

Non-prepacked food is:

• Sold loose or in open or unsealed packages where the contents can be altered without opening or changing the packaging
• Not sold pre-packed, for example, food from a takeaway, or meals served in a cafe or a restaurant. 

You can find out what category your offering falls under by completing this food labelling tool.

 

What we’re doing to help

We are in the process of updating our solutions to accommodate the new changes in allergen regulations. We’ll update this section in the next few days with some specifics.