Natasha's Law - Food Allergen Labelling

Natasha's Law is named after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse who, at the age of 15, passed away due to a severe allergic reaction. Natasha had a sesame allergy and was not made aware that sesame seeds had been baked into the bread of a sandwich she had purchased.

What businesses need to know about the allergen labelling for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food.

Examples of PPDS food

Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food can include the following:

Sandwiches and bakery products which are packed on site before a consumer selects or orders them
Fast food packed before it is ordered, such as a burger under a hot lamp where the food cannot be altered without opening the packaging
Products which are prepackaged on site ready for sale, such as pizzas, rotisserie chicken, salads and pasta pots
Burgers and sausages prepackaged by a butcher on the premises ready for sale to consumers
Samples of cookies given to consumers for free which were packed on site
Foods packaged and then sold elsewhere by the same operator at a market stall or mobile site
PPDS food provided in schools, care homes or hospitals and other similar settings will also require labelling

What needs to be on the label?

The label needs to show the name of the food and the ingredients list with the 14 allergens required to be declared by law emphasised within it.

Consumers may be allergic or have intolerance to other ingredients, but only the 14 allergens are required to be declared as allergens by food law.

The 14 allergens are: celery, cereals containing gluten (such as barley and oats), crustaceans (such as prawns, crabs and lobsters), eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs (such as mussels and oysters), mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites (if they are at a concentration of more than ten parts per million) and tree nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts).