Pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) food has specific labelling requirements under UK law. FoodCore generates compliant PPDS labels automatically — so you know exactly what's required and your labels meet it.
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Pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) is a specific legal category of food, and understanding whether your products fall into it is the first step to knowing what labelling you need. PPDS food is food that is packed on the same premises where it is sold, before the customer orders or selects it. The key distinction is that the food is packed in advance — not made to order in front of the customer.
Common examples of PPDS food include: a cake displayed in a bakery case in a pre-sealed bag; a sandwich made in a café kitchen and placed in the chiller before service; a jar of homemade jam at a market stall; a meal prep container sold at a farmers market. If you pack your food before the customer picks it up, it is almost certainly PPDS.
PPDS food is not the same as pre-packed food sold in supermarkets (which has different, more extensive labelling requirements) and it is not the same as food made to order (which has different allergen information requirements). PPDS sits in between: it requires a label with a product name, a full ingredients list in descending order by weight, and all 14 major allergens emphasised in bold.
This requirement — introduced by Natasha's Law in October 2021 — applies to every PPDS product, every time it is sold. If you change a recipe, the label must change before you sell the updated product. If you use a new ingredient, the label must reflect it. Keeping labels accurate is an ongoing compliance task, not a one-time setup.
FoodCore generates PPDS labels automatically from your recipe data. You build your recipes in FoodCore, and the label is generated from that data — ingredients in legal order, allergens detected and highlighted automatically. Change a recipe and the label updates. You print from FoodCore and attach to your packaging. The compliance task becomes a routine part of your production process rather than a separate administrative burden.
UK food law sets out the minimum requirements for every PPDS label.
The name of the food — either a legal name, a customary name, or a descriptive name that makes clear what the product is.
Every ingredient must be listed, in order from the most to the least by weight at the time of manufacture. Compound ingredients (e.g. a bought-in sauce) must list their sub-ingredients in brackets.
Any of the 14 major allergens present in the product must be emphasised — typically in bold — within the ingredients list. This is the core requirement introduced by Natasha's Law and the most common source of non-compliance.
FoodCore generates labels that meet all three requirements automatically from your recipe data.
Build your recipe once. FoodCore handles the label format, allergen detection, and print output.
FoodCore lists all ingredients in descending order by weight, as required by UK food information regulations. Sub-ingredients of compound ingredients are listed in brackets in the correct legal format — no manual ordering required.
Allergens are detected at the ingredient level and emphasised in bold on the label automatically. You don't need to manually identify and bold allergens — FoodCore does it from your ingredient data, including allergens in sub-ingredients.
Change an ingredient, swap a supplier, or adjust a quantity and the label updates automatically. You're never at risk of selling a PPDS product with a label that no longer matches its contents — a direct compliance risk under Natasha's Law.
If you use compound ingredients — bought-in sauces, spice blends, pre-made pastry — FoodCore tracks their sub-ingredients and allergens. Your label reflects what's actually in the product, not just the top-level ingredients you added.
Labels are formatted for standard label paper and printed directly from FoodCore. No need to export to another application or reformat. Print, peel, attach — done.
As well as the label itself, FoodCore shows a clear allergen summary for each recipe — which allergens are present and which ingredients they come from. Useful for staff briefings, customer queries, and your own compliance records.
FoodCore is built for small UK food businesses — not enterprise kitchens with IT teams.
Every pre-packed cake, loaf, or pastry you sell needs a compliant PPDS label. FoodCore generates them from your recipes automatically across your full product range.
Pre-made sandwiches, cakes, and prepared foods placed in a chiller before service are PPDS products. FoodCore keeps your labels accurate as your menu changes.
If you pack your products before the market, they are PPDS. FoodCore lets you print labels at home before market day — no last-minute scramble.
Pre-packed meal prep containers and catering products sold directly to customers are PPDS. FoodCore keeps labels accurate as your menu evolves.
Why small food businesses switch from manual methods to FoodCore.
PPDS food is food that is packed on the same premises where it is sold, before the customer orders or selects it. A cake in a bakery display case in a pre-sealed bag is PPDS. A sandwich made to order in front of the customer is not. A jar of jam at a market stall is PPDS. The Food Standards Agency website has detailed guidance with examples for different business types.
Celery, cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats), crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites (above 10mg/kg), and tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts). FoodCore tracks all 14 automatically.
Yes — Natasha's Law is the common name for the Food Information (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2021, which introduced the PPDS labelling requirement. The law came into force on 1 October 2021 and applies across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland (with equivalent legislation).
Yes. Your label must accurately reflect the product at the time of sale. If you change an ingredient — even a minor one — you must update the label before selling the product. FoodCore makes this automatic: change the recipe and the label updates immediately.
Food sold online and dispatched by post may fall under different labelling requirements depending on how it is packed and sold. If you pack food before dispatch and sell it directly to customers, it may be PPDS. Consult the Food Standards Agency guidance for your specific situation.
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