Allergen Labelling – How to Differentiate Allergens

From October 2021, the requirements for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food labelling changed in Wales, England, and Northern Ireland.

This labelling helps to protect consumers by providing potentially life-saving information.

Every business selling PPDS food is required to label those products with the name of the food and a full ingredients list, emphasising any that are classified as allergenic.

Positive ID Labels provides a comprehensive allergen food label printing service that ensures your business complies with the law. Our allergen labelling package, which includes a printer, software, and labels, makes it simple to keep up.

What is the name of the legislation that covers allergen labelling?

Governments across the UK decided that PPDS foods must list ingredient and allergen information on their packaging following the death of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse in 2016, after she suffered an allergic reaction.

The 15-year-old, who had a severe allergy to sesame, bought a baguette at Heathrow Airport that did not have any allergen advice on its wrapper. As the sandwich was made on the premises, it was not required to do so.

New legislation, known as Natasha’s Law, now makes this mandatory.

Want to know how to meet the requirements of Natasha’s Law? Read our blog post

What allergens must be on a food label?

In the UK, the law compels businesses to state if they use any of the following fourteen ingredients in the food or drink they provide:

• celery
• cereals containing gluten (for example, barley and oats)
• crustaceans (for example, prawns, crabs and lobsters)
• eggs
• fish
• lupin
• milk
• molluscs (like mussels and oysters)
• mustard
• peanuts
• sesame
• soybeans
• sulphur dioxide and sulphites
• tree nuts (including almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts)

How do you list allergens on a label?

You must highlight allergenic foods every time they appear in the ingredients list.

For example, you can list them in bold, with contrasting colours, or by underlining them. We recommend you use upper case text together with an allergen advice statement at the beginning that reads:

‘For allergens, see ingredients in UPPERCASE’

There are several reasons we believe this is the best allergen label solution. First, it’s just easier. Not only that, but we’ve also developed our own allergen labelling software to help. It’s called Nutridata.

Second, the resolution setting for most printers is 200dpi, making it a challenge to differentiate bold text. It is clearer with a print head capable of 300dpi. However, they are slower and more expensive.

Does your food business operate in multiple locations? Don’t worry, here’s how we can help

Still unsure what is required? 

We appreciate there is a lot to be aware of.

Our short video explainer of food labelling rules might help. If it doesn’t, then please ask us.

Positive ID Labels prides itself on the advice we give to customers, including allergen label printing. Our offer includes:

• Free artwork (or labels) with your first order
• Remote installation of your hardware
• Training on how to use our products
• Ongoing support for every customer
• Leasing options to minimise costs

Call us today on 01332 8648995 or complete the contact form below.