Natasha's Law FAQ: Everything Cake Sellers Need to Know

What is Natasha's Law in simple terms?

Natasha's Law is the common name for allergen labelling regulations that came into force on 1 October 2021 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland has equivalent rules under the Food Information (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021). It requires all "Pre-Packed for Direct Sale" (PPDS) food to carry a full ingredient list with the 14 major allergens highlighted in bold.

It was named after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, a 15-year-old who died in 2016 after eating a Pret a Manger baguette that contained sesame — which wasn't labelled. The law closes a loophole that previously allowed food packed on the same premises where it was sold to avoid full labelling requirements.

If all four of those conditions are met, the product is PPDS and must carry a Natasha's Law compliant label. Understanding this definition is the key to knowing whether your products are covered — and what you need to do about it.

Does Natasha's Law apply to cakes?

Yes — if those cakes are pre-packed for direct sale. A cake in a box or bag that you've packed yourself, sold directly to the customer (at your market stall, cake shed, online via delivery, or at an event) is PPDS food and must carry a full Natasha's Law compliant label.

The law applies to all of the following when packed and sold directly to the consumer:

• Celebration cakes in boxes
• Cupcakes in bags or boxes
• Brownies in cellophane
• Cookies in packets
• Traybake slices in boxes
• Flapjacks, muffins, scones — any baked good that's packaged before sale

The type of product doesn't matter — only whether it's PPDS. A chocolate tart, a loaf cake, a gluten-free brownie — all are subject to the same rules if they're pre-packed for direct sale. For a full explanation of what counts as PPDS, see our guide: What Is PPDS Food?

Does Natasha's Law apply to home bakers?

Yes. Being a home baker doesn't exempt you from Natasha's Law. If you're selling PPDS products directly to consumers — whether from home, at markets, via social media and delivery, or at events — you must label them correctly.

The regulations apply to any food business, and the definition of "food business" under the Food Safety Act 1990 is intentionally broad: it covers any commercial operation involved in the preparation, processing, or sale of food. Selling homemade cakes for money — even occasionally — is a commercial operation.

There are two limited exceptions worth knowing:

• Loose/unpackaged food: Food that is not pre-packed — for example, a cake slice cut in front of the customer and handed to them without packaging — is not PPDS. You still need to be able to provide allergen information on request, but a full printed ingredient label is not required on the item itself.
• Non-commercial charitable activities: Food that is genuinely not sold commercially — such as bringing homemade cakes to a one-off charity bake sale where there's no profit element for the individual — may fall outside the scope of food business legislation. This is a grey area and the safest approach is always to label fully.

For a detailed breakdown, see: Does Natasha's Law Apply to Home Bakers?

What needs to be on a Natasha's Law label?

For PPDS food, there are three mandatory elements:

• 1. The name of the food — the actual product name (e.g. "Lemon Drizzle Cake", "Chocolate Brownie").
• 2. A full ingredient list in descending order by weight — the heaviest ingredient by weight must come first. If your brownie is 40% chocolate, chocolate should be first in the list.
• 3. The 14 major allergens emphasised — wherever an allergen appears in the ingredient list, it must be emphasised (in bold, italics, CAPS, or highlighted) so it stands out clearly from the surrounding text.

What you DON'T need for PPDS (but DO need for pre-packed products sold via retailers):

• A nutritional information table
• A "per 100g" nutritional breakdown
• A barcode or batch code

What you SHOULD include as best practice (not always legally required for PPDS, but strongly recommended):

• A "best before" or "use by" date
• Your business name and contact details
• Storage instructions — especially for cream-filled or refrigerated products
• "May contain" precautionary allergen statements if cross-contact with allergens is possible in your kitchen
• Net weight or quantity

The 14 major allergens you must highlight are:

Do allergens have to be in bold?

Yes — technically they must be "emphasised" under Regulation EU 1169/2011, retained in UK law post-Brexit. Bold is the most common and practical method, but the law allows italic, CAPS, or colour highlighting as alternatives.

In practice, bold is the industry standard because it's the clearest for consumers. It's also the easiest to implement consistently when printing labels. What you cannot do is list all ingredients the same way without any emphasis on the allergens.

Here's an example of a correctly formatted ingredient list:

FoodCore formats allergens correctly in bold on every label it generates — automatically, based on the ingredients you enter into your recipes. You never need to manually scan an ingredient list for allergens.

What is PPDS food?

PPDS stands for Pre-Packed for Direct Sale. A product is PPDS if three conditions are met:

• It is packed before the sale — you package it yourself, before the customer arrives. This could be the evening before your market, earlier that same morning, or at a production session earlier in the week.
• It is packed on the same premises where it's sold — this includes your home kitchen if you sell from home, your market stall, your cake shed, or at an event. "Same premises" is interpreted broadly and can include a different site if the business is the same entity.
• It is sold directly to the end consumer — not to a retailer or wholesaler who then sells it on.

An important distinction: if you sell cakes through a third-party retailer (a deli, farm shop, or supermarket), those products are "pre-packed" (not PPDS) and require even more detailed labelling — including a full nutritional information table. This article focuses on PPDS only.

For a deeper explanation of the PPDS definition and the grey areas around it, read: What Is PPDS Food?

Are cupcakes in a box PPDS?

Yes — if you packed them yourself before the sale. A box of 6 cupcakes that you packed the night before your market stall and priced up is PPDS food. Each box needs a label with the food name, full ingredient list, and allergens in bold.

The label can be a sticker, a printed tag, or a label affixed to the box — as long as it is physically on or attached to the packaging at the time of sale. You cannot rely on a separate price board, a chalkboard sign, a verbal description, or a QR code to satisfy the labelling requirement for PPDS products. The information must be on the packaging itself.

Some practical notes for cupcake sellers:

• If you sell different flavours of cupcakes, each box with a different recipe needs its own label — you can't use a single generic "cupcake" label for all variants.
• If a cupcake contains both a sponge and a buttercream with different allergen profiles, both must be reflected in the ingredient list.
• If you offer customisation (e.g. different decorations), the allergen content of the decoration must also be included.

Are cake slices sold from a counter PPDS?

This is one of the most common points of confusion, and the answer depends on how the slice is sold:

Scenario A — Cut in front of the customer (not PPDS):
If the cake slice is cut in front of the customer and placed directly into their hands or a bag at the point of sale, it is loose/unpackaged food — not PPDS. You must still be able to provide allergen information (verbally or via a written notice/menu displayed prominently at the point of sale), but a full printed ingredient label on the item is not legally required.

Scenario B — Pre-cut and pre-packaged in a display case (PPDS):
If the cake slice is pre-cut and put into a bag or box before the customer orders — for example, already wrapped in a display case or display counter — it is PPDS and requires a full label with the food name, complete ingredient list, and allergens in bold.

The distinction is whether the packing happens before or at the point of sale. If there is any ambiguity, the safest approach is to treat the item as PPDS and label it fully. Trading Standards officers will take a dim view of businesses that exploit the line between "cut to order" and "pre-cut".

What software can I use for Natasha's Law labels?

FoodCore generates Natasha's Law compliant PPDS labels directly from your recipe data. You enter your recipe — ingredients and weights — and FoodCore automatically:

• Orders ingredients by descending weight (as legally required)
• Identifies and bolds all 14 allergens wherever they appear in the ingredient list
• Formats the label to be compliant with UK PPDS regulations
• Lets you print or save it for your packaging
• Updates the label automatically if you change a recipe ingredient

FoodCore is available from £19/month (Essentials plan). No design skills are required — you don't need to know which ingredients contain allergens, and you don't need to manually format bold text. The software handles everything from your ingredient list.

Learn more: Natasha's Law labelling software · Allergen label software for UK food businesses