Natasha's Law Explained: What UK Food Businesses Need to Know

In October 2021, new allergen labelling rules came into force across the UK. Named after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse — a teenager who died in 2016 after eating a baguette containing undeclared sesame — the law significantly extended the allergen information food businesses are required to provide.

If you prepare food on your premises and sell it packaged or pre-packed, Natasha's Law almost certainly applies to you. Here's what you need to know — and what you need to do.

What Is Natasha's Law?

Natasha's Law is the informal name for the Food Information (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2019, and equivalent regulations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It came into force on 1 October 2021 and introduced new labelling requirements for food that is prepacked for direct sale (PPDS).

Before the law changed, food businesses only had to provide allergen information for PPDS foods if asked — often verbally. The new rules require full written allergen labelling on the packaging of every PPDS item.

Who Does Natasha's Law Apply To?

The law applies to any food business that produces and sells PPDS food, including:

• Cafés and coffee shops selling pre-made sandwiches, wraps or salads
• Bakeries packaging cakes, pastries or bread for shelf display
• Delis and farm shops preparing and packaging food on site
• Restaurants and takeaways selling pre-packaged meals, meal kits or snacks
• Market stalls and food festivals selling labelled products
• Contract caterers preparing food for school meals, workplace canteens or events

The 14 Major Allergens

UK law requires you to identify and declare the presence of 14 major allergens in all food you prepare and sell. These are:

Allergens must be emphasised in the ingredients list — typically by using bold, italics or a contrasting colour — so that they stand out clearly to someone scanning the label quickly.

What Your Labels Must Show

Under Natasha's Law, every PPDS item must carry a label with:

• The name of the food
• A full ingredients list, with all 14 major allergens emphasised wherever they appear

That's it — but those two requirements have significant implications. Every item needs its own label. Every time a recipe changes, the label must change. And if a supplier changes an ingredient, your label must reflect that.

Beyond Labels: Why You Need an Allergen Register

While Natasha's Law specifically addresses PPDS labelling, all food businesses — including those serving loose food — are legally required to provide allergen information to customers on request. This is where an allergen register becomes essential.

An allergen register is a documented record of which of the 14 allergens are present in each dish or product you offer. It serves three purposes:

1. Compliance — it's the source of truth for your labels and for answering customer queries accurately
2. Inspection readiness — EHO officers will ask to see your allergen information during inspections
3. Staff training — a clear register means your team can answer allergen questions confidently, even without the manager present

How to Build a Compliant Allergen Register

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming ingredients are allergen-free without checking — many unexpected ingredients contain allergens (e.g., soy in Worcestershire sauce, gluten in some soy sauces, milk in some margarines)
• Not updating the register when menus change seasonally — this is one of the most common compliance gaps
• Relying solely on verbal allergen information — verbal information can be misheard or misremembered, and provides no audit trail
• Using the same allergen register template for years without checking supplier ingredient changes
• Not training front-of-house staff — they need to understand the register and know how to handle an allergen query, including when to escalate to a manager

Natasha's Law and EHO Inspections

Environmental Health Officers now inspect allergen compliance as a standard part of their visits. During an inspection, they may:

• Ask to see your allergen register for all dishes on your menu
• Check that your PPDS labels include a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised
• Ask staff members how they'd handle an allergen query from a customer
• Cross-reference your register against the actual ingredients you're using in the kitchen

Incomplete, outdated, or missing allergen information is treated as a serious compliance failure and will negatively affect your Food Hygiene Rating. Combined with the legal penalties under the Food Safety Act, there's a compelling reason to get this right.

How Digital Tools Simplify Allergen Compliance

Managing allergens manually — particularly across a menu of twenty or more dishes with seasonal changes — is time-consuming and error-prone. Digital allergen registers offer several practical advantages:

• AI-assisted import — upload your recipe or menu and have allergens identified automatically, saving hours of manual cross-referencing
• Instant updates — change a recipe once and the register updates everywhere, so labels and staff references are always in sync
• Accessible on any device — front-of-house staff can check allergens on a tablet at the counter, reducing the chance of mistakes during busy service
• Audit trail — every change is logged with a timestamp, demonstrating due diligence to an EHO or in the event of a customer complaint