It has come about because of the untimely death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse who suffered an allergic reaction to sesame seeds that were contained in a baguette that she ate. Natasha was unaware that the baguette contained sesame seeds as there was no requirement at the time to label food that was prepacked for direct sale on the premises.
Natasha’s Law came into effect in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on 1st October 2021. The new law will require any business that produces prepacked for direct sale food to clearly display on the packaging:
- The name of the food; and
- A full list of ingredients with the allergenic ingredients highlighted (for example in a different colour or bold italics).
Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food is defined as food which is packaged at the same place it is sold or offered to consumers and is also in its packaging before it is ordered or selected i.e. a sandwich from a meal deal. Where food is not considered to be PPDS, it is still a requirement to provide consumers with the name of the food and the presence of any of the 14 allergens. This can be done using an app, a written document or verbally.
The Food Standards Agency has created a webpage to help businesses with the new allergen labelling for PPDS food, which can be found by visiting: https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/introduction-to-allergen-labelling-changes-ppds#what-is-ppds-food
Our team of experienced food safety consultants are also available to help, advise and support you to comply with the new legislation or any other food safety matter, please read more on our food safety service page or view our food allergens guide within our independent guides section.