Prepacked for Direct Sale (PPDS) Allergen Labelling Readiness
Put the name and full ingredients list on every PPDS pack, emphasise each regulated allergen and recheck labels when recipes change.
In Short
- Name and full ingredients on pack.
- Emphasise each listed allergen.
- Recheck labels after recipe changes.
The Food Processing Operations Guide
Safe changeovers. Right labels. Every lot traceable.
- The rules and the plan
- Supplier to filled tray
- Allergen changeovers and pack checks
We ask for your name and email so we can handle this request. The full guide then opens on this site, ready to translate, print or save. Privacy policy. Practical orientation, not legal advice; your quality unit decides which rules apply.
UltimateFree guide
The Food Processing Operations Guide
Safe changeovers. Right labels. Every lot traceable.
Since 1 October 2021, food prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) offered in England must carry the name of the food and a full ingredients list with the regulated allergens emphasised, on the package or a label attached to it. This guide covers scope, label content, how loose food differs and the records behind each label. It covers England's regulations only; the other UK nations' legislation was not checked. Orientation, not legal advice. Sources checked 4 Oct 2026.
What PPDS covers
The Food Information Regulations 2014 take the term from Article 2(2)(e) of the retained Food Information to Consumers Regulation (FIC), which defines prepacked food and excludes from it food packed on the sales premises at the consumer's request and food prepacked for direct sale. PPDS therefore sits between loose food and fully prepacked food.
Which rule applies (England)
| How the food is sold | Allergen information |
|---|---|
| Loose, not packed | Any means, including orally with a sign (reg 5) |
| Packed at the customer's request | Any means, including orally with a sign (reg 5) |
| Prepacked for direct sale | Name and full ingredients on pack or label (regs 5A, 6A) |
| Prepacked | Full FIC labelling |
- Loose, not packed
- Allergen information
- Any means, including orally with a sign (reg 5)
- Packed at the customer's request
- Allergen information
- Any means, including orally with a sign (reg 5)
- Prepacked for direct sale
- Allergen information
- Name and full ingredients on pack or label (regs 5A, 6A)
- Prepacked
- Allergen information
- Full FIC labelling
More on what PPDS covers
The regulation text opened does not list examples; the Food Standards Agency publishes technical guidance on telling the categories apart, which was not reviewed for this guide. Decide product by product and record why.
What the label must show
The Food Information (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2019 inserted regulations 5A and 6A into the 2014 Regulations from 1 October 2021. Regulation 5A requires a business offering PPDS food to a final consumer or mass caterer, other than by distance communication, to give the list of ingredients and the allergen particulars directly on the package or on a label attached to it, read with the FIC rules on ingredient lists.
More on what the label must show
Regulation 6A requires the name of the food, also on the package or an attached label.
Emphasising the Regulated Allergens
Under FIC Article 21(1), each substance or product listed in Annex II, such as cereals containing gluten, is shown in the ingredients list with a clear reference to its Annex II name, emphasised by a typeset that clearly distinguishes it from the rest of the list, for example by font, style or background colour. Where several ingredients come from the same allergen, the label makes that clear for each one.
More on emphasising the Regulated Allergens
No separate indication is needed where the name of the food clearly refers to the allergen. Check Annex II for the full list and its exceptions.
Loose food and food packed at request
Regulation 5, as amended in 2019, still covers food that is not prepacked and food packed on the sales premises at the consumer's request. For those foods the allergen information may be given by any means the business chooses, including orally.
More on loose food and food packed at request
If it is given orally, a label, notice, menu or ticket must say that allergen details can be obtained by asking a member of staff. The 2019 amendment removed PPDS from regulation 5, so the oral option no longer applies to PPDS.
Keeping labels in step with recipes
Most PPDS label errors start upstream: a supplier substitutes an ingredient, a recipe is adjusted or a new compound ingredient arrives with its own allergens. Link each label version to the recipe version and ingredient specifications it was built from, and have a named person check the ingredient order, allergen emphasis and name before printing.
Worked Example: Sandwich SW-07 Label Check
More on keeping labels in step with recipes
When a recipe or specification changes, review every label that uses it and record the decision. These are human checks; software can show what changed but people approve the label.
Questions
Can we tell PPDS customers about allergens verbally instead?
No. Since the 2019 amendment, PPDS food needs the name and full ingredients list with allergens emphasised on the package or an attached label (regulations 5A and 6A). The oral option in regulation 5 is for loose food and food packed at request.
How should allergens be emphasised?
In the ingredients list, using a typeset that clearly distinguishes them, such as bold, a different style or a background colour (FIC Article 21(1)).
Does this apply to online orders?
Regulation 5A applies to sales other than by distance communication. Distance selling has its own FIC rules, not covered here.
Who decides whether a product is PPDS?
The food business does, product by product, with advice from its local authority or primary authority where needed. Record the reasoning.
Practical orientation, not legal advice. Rules differ by jurisdiction; your quality and compliance team decides what applies.
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