Natasha’s Law: What Retailers need to know about labelling and compliance

When Natasha Ednan-Laperouse purchased a baguette from Pret a Manger in July of 2016, she was entirely unaware that it contained sesame seed, an ingredient to which she had a life threatening allergy. What ensued was a catastrophic fatal allergic reaction on a flight to Nice.  Since Natasha’s death, her parents, Nadim and Tanya, have campaigned tirelessly for a change in the law around allergen labelling and so, after five years of pressure on the UK Government, Natasha’s Law came into force in October 2021.

The new legislation was adopted across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, and brings with it full transparency to ingredient and allergen labelling in pre-packaged for direct sale (PPDS) foods, met with relief by the 2 million who suffer from food allergies in the UK. From October 2021 onwards, all foods which are produced and packaged on the same premises must be labelled according to the new law, including a full list of ingredients and emboldened allergens.

PPDS foods are typically prepared in delicatessens and cafés, although some retailers also produce and package foods on premises. Restaurants are largely unaffected by the new law, although they must ensure that ingredient and allergen details are made available to customers under existing law, and provide them on request to their patrons.  As takeaways fall under the umbrella of ‘distance selling’, they are required to make ingredient and allergen information available both at the point of sale and the point of delivery, and must maintain written documentation for each product.

Providing this information to your customers is not just a matter of legal obligation, it also demonstrates your commitment to their health and safety and to social responsibility.

When combined with RMS’ range of Avery scales, OpSuite can be used to create ingredient labels for your PPDS food products. Set the 14 allergens laid out in Natasha’s Law to embolden and your labels will highlight the allergens automatically on your food labels, ready for printing and application. If you sell PPDS foods and would like a demonstration of the OpSuite and Avery solution, please give our team a call on 0800 138 0050 or get in touch here.