Natasha's Law & UK Food Allergen Rules: A Plain-English Guide for Cafés, Restaurants & Hotels

Food allergen rules in the UK have changed significantly since 2021, and the Food Standards Agency updated its guidance again in February 2025. If you run a café, restaurant, pub, hotel, school kitchen or any food business, this guide covers what the law actually requires, what changed recently, and what good practice looks like — without the jargon.

What is Natasha's Law?

Natasha's Law came into force on 1 October 2021. It is named after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died in 2016 after eating a pre-packaged baguette that contained sesame — an allergen not declared on the packaging. Her death exposed a gap in the law: food made on the premises and pre-packaged for direct sale could previously be sold without full allergen labelling.

The law closed that gap. It applies to prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food — food that is packaged at the same premises where it is sold, before the customer orders or selects it. Sandwiches made and wrapped in-house, salads pre-potted on the counter, cakes labelled and displayed before purchase — these are all PPDS.

Under Natasha's Law, every PPDS product must carry:

• The name of the food
• A full ingredients list in descending order of weight
• Any of the 14 major allergens clearly emphasised within that list (in bold, capitals or underlined)

This applies to all food businesses regardless of size — cafés, delis, school kitchens, market stalls, mobile catering units and hospital canteens included.

The 14 UK Food Allergens

The Food Standards Agency recognises 14 major allergens that must be declared whenever they are present as an ingredient:

1. Cereals containing gluten — wheat (including spelt and Khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats
2. Crustaceans — prawns, crabs, lobster, crayfish
3. Eggs
4. Fish
5. Peanuts
6. Soybeans
7. Milk (including lactose)
8. Nuts — almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts
9. Celery (including celeriac)
10. Mustard
11. Sesame seeds
12. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (when present at more than 10 parts per million)
13. Lupin (including lupin flour — found in some breads and pastries)
14. Molluscs — mussels, oysters, squid, snails

This list applies to additives, processing aids and any other substances present in the finished product, not just primary ingredients.

What About Non-Prepacked (Loose) Food?

PPDS rules cover food packaged before the customer orders. Most restaurant dishes, café counter items served to order, and takeaway meals made fresh are non-prepacked — the customer orders first, then the food is prepared or assembled.

For non-prepacked food, the legal requirement is that allergen information must be available to customers. It can be provided verbally, in writing, or both. If you give it verbally, a notice, menu or label that customers can see must tell them to ask staff (regulation 5 of the Food Information Regulations 2014 and the Food Information (Wales) Regulations 2014). Many businesses use an "ask a member of staff" approach — but that is increasingly being scrutinised.

Our free signage law checker lists every sign the law requires for your type of premises in England or Wales, what each must say and the law behind it.

What Changed in February 2025?

In February 2025, the FSA published updated best practice guidance for non-prepacked food, applying to England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The core shift: the FSA now strongly recommends that written allergen information should always be available for non-prepacked food — not just on request, but readily accessible without a customer having to ask. An "ask a member of staff" sign on its own is no longer considered sufficient as a standalone approach.

In practice, the guidance expects businesses to:

• Provide written allergen information on menus, allergen matrices, chalkboards or digital displays
• Make that information easy to find — not buried in a folder behind the counter
• Train staff so they can have an accurate, confident conversation with customers
• Ensure the written information is accurate and updated whenever ingredients or suppliers change

QR codes on menus linking to a digital allergen matrix are explicitly accepted by the FSA — but a non-digital alternative must also be available. Ask your local Environmental Health Officer how they apply the 2025 guidance to your premises.

Does Natasha's Law Apply to Takeaways and Distance Selling?

Food sold remotely — by phone, online or via a delivery app — falls outside the PPDS definition. However, allergen information must still be communicated to the customer before purchase and at the point of delivery.

Displaying Allergen Information: Practical Options

• An allergen matrix on the menu or wall — table showing each dish against each of the 14 allergens
• Allergen information in a dedicated folder available to customers on request, with a clearly visible notice
• QR codes on tables or menus linking to a digital allergen page — with a printed backup
• Clear labelling on PPDS items with ingredients and allergens emphasised
• Printed allergen notices displayed prominently at point of service

Free Printable Allergen Notice

We have produced a free A4 printable allergen notice listing all 14 UK allergens, suitable for display at point of service in cafés, restaurants, pubs and hotel dining areas. Designed to print clearly in black and white or colour on standard A4 paper.

Download the free A4 allergen notice (PDF)

If you would prefer a more durable, professional version, we make laser-engraved food allergy signs to order in our workshop in North Wales, in FSC-certified oak veneered MDF. An engraved sign is wipeable, will not fade or tear, and can be wall-mounted or displayed on a counter. For indoor use only.

See our food allergy signs and our guide to where a food allergy sign fits, or browse the wooden signs range and signs for hospitality businesses.

All items are made to order. Dispatch time is shown at checkout. UK orders via Royal Mail Tracked 24. International via Royal Mail International Tracked.

Frequently asked questions

What is Natasha's Law?
Natasha's Law came into force on 1 October 2021. It requires food that is prepacked for direct sale to carry the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with any of the 14 major allergens emphasised within that list.

What is prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food?
Food that is packaged at the same premises where it is sold, before the customer orders or selects it, such as sandwiches made and wrapped in-house or salads pre-potted on the counter.

Does Natasha's Law apply to food made to order?
No. Food prepared after the customer orders is non-prepacked. For that food, allergen information must be available to customers, verbally or in writing (if it is given verbally, a notice, menu or label that customers can see must tell them to ask staff), and the FSA's February 2025 guidance recommends that written information is always available.

Is an "ask a member of staff" sign enough?
Not on its own. The FSA's February 2025 best-practice guidance for England, Wales and Northern Ireland says written allergen information should be readily available without the customer having to ask.

How many allergens must be declared?
Fourteen: cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, lupin and molluscs.

Further Reading

• FSA: Allergen guidance for food businesses
• FSA: Introduction to allergen labelling for PPDS food (Natasha's Law)

This guide summarises current FSA guidance and is intended as a plain-English overview. It is not legal advice. Always refer to the FSA and your local Environmental Health Officer for authoritative guidance specific to your business.