for sellersAllergen rules for home food businesses: Natasha's Law explained simply
Every UK home food seller must be able to tell customers which of the 14 regulated allergens each product contains. If you make food to order, that information can be written on your menu or given with the order. If you pack food before it is ordered (boxed brownies, bagged cookies, cupcakes on a stall) "Natasha's Law" (prepacked for direct sale, in force since October 2021) requires a full ingredients label with allergens emphasised. For online orders, allergen information must be available before purchase and again on delivery.
The 14 allergens
Celery · Cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats) · Crustaceans · Eggs · Fish · Lupin · Milk · Molluscs · Mustard · Peanuts · Sesame · Soybeans · Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (over 10mg/kg) · Tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamias).
Three situations, three rules
| How you sell it | Example | What you must provide |
|---|---|---|
| Made to order / packed after ordering (non-prepacked) | A custom birthday cake; curry boxed up when the customer arrives | Allergen information for each dish, available in writing or verbally with a clear written signpost. Written is safest. |
| Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS): packed before it is offered for sale, on the same premises | Pre-boxed brownies on a stall; wrapped flapjacks ready for collection | A label on the pack with the product name and a full ingredients list, with the 14 allergens emphasised (bold, capitals or colour). This is Natasha's Law. |
| Prepacked: packed somewhere else before sale, or sold to shops | Jars of chutney stocked by a deli | Full food labelling: name, ingredients with allergens emphasised, weight, dates, storage, your business name and address. |
Selling online counts as distance selling
When customers order through a website, app or social media, the law requires allergen information to be available before the sale is completed (on the product page or menu) and at the moment of delivery or collection (a label, a note or a verbal check). On Cravers Eats you set the allergens on each product once; they appear on the product page before ordering and on the order the customer receives.
"May contain" and cross-contamination
A home kitchen that uses nuts or flour anywhere should say so. Precautionary statements ("made in a kitchen that handles nuts") are not a substitute for listing actual ingredients, but they are good practice and customers with allergies expect them. Keep allergen ingredients in sealed, labelled containers, clean surfaces and equipment between batches, and never guess: if you are unsure whether a product contains an allergen, say you cannot confirm it is free of it.
What inspectors ask
- Can you show, for every product, which allergens it contains?
- Where do customers see that information before they buy?
- How do you stop cross-contact between, say, a nut cake and a nut-free one?
- For pre-packed items: show me the label.
The Food Standards Agency provides a free allergen matrix template and online allergy training. Taking the free training is a sensible addition to the Level 2 hygiene course. Full guide: how to sell food from home in the UK.
Sell on Cravers Eats
A new local marketplace for anyone who makes and sells from home: bakers, cooks, florists, crafters and makers, opening across the UK in early 2027. Founding sellers join free now and set up before launch day. Customers order and pay by card, you keep 95%, and there are no monthly fees.
Join as a founding sellerQuestions people ask
Does Natasha's Law apply to home bakers?
Yes, when you pack food before it is ordered: boxed cupcakes or brownies on a stall or for collection. Those packs need a full ingredient label with allergens emphasised. Made-to-order cakes do not need a full label, but you must still give allergen information.
Do I have to list ingredients on a custom cake?
Not a full label, but you must tell the customer which of the 14 allergens it contains, ideally in writing on the order and on your menu.
What allergen information do I need when selling food online?
Allergen information must be available before the customer completes the order and again at delivery or collection. A product page that lists allergens, plus a note with the order, satisfies both.
Can I say "may contain nuts" instead of listing allergens?
No. "May contain" is a precautionary statement about cross-contamination and is in addition to, not instead of, declaring the allergens that are actually ingredients.
Sources: Food Standards Agency and local council guidance on registering a food business and allergen information (PPDS); HMRC trading allowance guidance; Cravers Eats seller terms. Last reviewed 2026-11-05.