How to implement Natasha’s Law
Natasha’s Law is a new allergen labelling law that affects prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) foods in Northern Ireland.
The changes to food labelling laws will affect businesses in Northern Ireland that package and sell or offer foods onsite to the final customer.
These videos provide a guide to implementing the new labelling requirements under the law.
What is a prepacked for direct sale product?
This video explains what foods classify as PPDS and the labelling changes that need to be made.
How to create an ingredient list to comply with the law
The following video show how businesses can gather the information they need to create the correct food label.
How to design and print a label for PPDS products
The final video shows how to design and print a PPDS food label.
The video series was produced by safefood in partnership with Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and the Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland.
Background to Natasha’s Law
In 2016, a UK teenager suffered a fatal anaphylactic reaction on board a flight from the UK to France. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse had a food allergy to sesame seeds and purchased a baguette before boarding the flight, not realising that sesame seeds had been baked into the baguette dough.
Following her death, her family campaigned to have the law on allergen labelling in the UK changed and from October 2021, new labelling requirements for Prepacked for Direct Sale (PPDS) foods apply in Northern Ireland, England and Wales. Known simply as ‘Natasha’s Law’, these changes empower consumers who have a food hypersensitivity (food allergy, intolerance or coeliac disease) to make clear, safe choices when buying food.
Prepacked for Direct Sale (PPDS) foods explained
All businesses producing food products that classify as PPDS must label them with the name of the food and a full ingredients list with the allergenic ingredients emphasised.
A PPDS food is a food that is packaged at the same place it is offered or sold to customers and is in its packaging before it is ordered or selected. This includes foods such as a sandwich or salad made and packed by staff onsite and placed on a shelf for purchase. It does not include unpackaged foods or that were packaged after being ordered by the consumer, e.g., a sandwich made to order. However, allergen information must still be provided but this can be done through other means, including verbally.
It's important that food businesses in Northern Ireland are aware of their products that classify as PPDS.
The Food Standards Agency has produced a checklist that food businesses can use to determine if any of their food products classify as PPDS.
Other information on the new labelling requirements is also available including sector-specific guidance e.g., for bakers, retailers or mobile food operators.