Allergen information duties: Natasha's Law and the 14 allergens

19 October 2026 · 2 min read

Getting allergen information right protects your customers and your business. The rules can sound complicated, but they come down to knowing what is in your food and telling customers clearly. This guide follows the Food Standards Agency's allergen guidance for food businesses, which applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has its own guidance from Food Standards Scotland.

The 14 allergens

Food law requires you to tell customers if any food you provide contains any of these 14 allergens as an ingredient:

1. Celery
2. Cereals containing gluten (such as wheat, rye, barley and oats)
3. Crustaceans (such as prawns, crabs and lobsters)
4. Eggs
5. Fish
6. Lupin
7. Milk
8. Molluscs (such as mussels and oysters)
9. Mustard
10. Peanuts
11. Sesame
12. Soybeans
13. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (above ten parts per million)
14. Tree nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews and pistachios)

This includes allergens in additives, processing aids and other substances present in the final product.

Three types of food, three sets of rules

Prepacked food (packed before being placed on sale, such as a branded crisp packet): must have a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised.

Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS): food packed on the same premises where it is sold, before the customer orders it. Common examples are sandwiches, salads and pies made and wrapped in your café to sell from your counter. Since 1 October 2021 these need a label with the name of the food and a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised, for example in bold. This is often called Natasha's Law, after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse.

Non-prepacked (loose) food: meals served in a café, food from a takeaway, cakes from a counter. You must provide allergen information for every item containing any of the 14 allergens. You can do this:

• in writing, on a menu, chalkboard or information pack, or
• verbally, with a clearly visible written notice telling customers how to get the information

The FSA advises that written allergen information, supported by a conversation, works best for customers. It provides a free allergy and intolerance sign and an allergen matrix template on the guidance page.

Practical steps for a small kitchen

• Keep a record of every recipe's ingredients, including sauces, dressings and bought-in components. Check labels when a supplier changes a product.
• Use an allergen matrix for your menu and keep it up to date.
• Train staff. The FSA says staff must receive allergen training and offers free online food allergy training and an allergen checklist.
• Manage cross-contamination with separate equipment, cleaning and storage where you can, and be honest with customers where you cannot remove the risk.
• Be careful with "free-from" claims. The FSA explains that a free-from claim is a guarantee, so it needs strict controls. Vegan does not automatically mean free from milk or egg traces.

A note on SaucySums

SaucySums is a costing tool and does not manage allergen information. Always use your own records and the FSA's guidance and tools for allergens. For costing, try the free Dish Profit Calculator.

This is a friendly summary, not legal advice. Check the full FSA guidance and talk to your local authority if you are unsure.

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