How to Comply with Natasha's Law: 2026 Guide for UK Food Businesses

What is Natasha's Law?

Natasha's Law is the informal name for the Food Information (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2019, which came into force on 1 October 2021. It was introduced following the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died after suffering an allergic reaction to a Pret a Manger baguette that contained sesame — an allergen not declared on the packaging.

The law requires that all PPDS (pre-packed for direct sale) food carries a label with the product name, a full ingredients list and all 14 major allergens highlighted in bold.

Who does Natasha's Law apply to in 2026?

Natasha's Law applies to any food business in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that sells PPDS food. Scotland has equivalent legislation under the Food Information (Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2021.

PPDS food is food that is:

• Packaged on the same premises where it is sold
• Packaged before a customer orders it
• Offered for sale in that packaging

This includes: bakeries, delis, farm shops, market stalls, meal prep businesses, home food businesses, cafés selling pre-packaged items, and any business selling packaged food online for collection or delivery.

The 14 major allergens

Every label must highlight these allergens wherever they appear in the ingredients list:

Cereals containing gluten includes: wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt and kamut. Tree nuts includes: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios and macadamias.

What must be on the label

1. The name of the food — the product name as it would be described to a customer
2. Full ingredients list — every ingredient in descending order by weight as used in the recipe, including sub-ingredients of compound ingredients
3. Allergens highlighted — every allergen from the list of 14 must be emphasised (bold is standard) wherever it appears in the ingredients list

You may also include best before/use by dates, storage instructions, nutritional information and business details — but these are not required by Natasha's Law specifically (though some may be required by other food labelling regulations).

What happens if you don't comply?

Non-compliance with Natasha's Law is a criminal offence. Local authority environmental health officers can:

• Issue improvement notices requiring you to correct labelling
• Prosecute for offences under the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Information Regulations 2014
• Issue unlimited fines on conviction
• In serious cases, pursue custodial sentences

Beyond legal penalties, a mislabelled product that causes an allergic reaction exposes your business to civil liability and reputational damage that can end a small food business entirely.

How to comply: the practical steps

1. Audit your products — identify every product you sell that is PPDS
2. Build an ingredient library — record every ingredient with its allergen data, sourced from supplier specifications
3. Document your recipes — list every ingredient by weight, including sub-ingredients of compound ingredients
4. Generate compliant labels — with product name, ingredients in weight order, and allergens in bold
5. Establish a review process — update labels whenever a recipe changes or a supplier changes a formulation

The fastest way to comply in 2026

Doing this manually — in Word, Excel or Canva — is slow and error-prone. Purpose-built allergen label software like FoodCore connects your ingredient library to your label output, so labels are always generated from live recipe data. When a recipe changes, labels update. When a supplier changes a formulation, every affected recipe and label is flagged.

Frequently asked questions