Natasha's Law explained: full ingredient labels on food to go

What Natasha's Law changed for food prepacked for direct sale, why those full ingredient labels matter when you buy food on the go, and what to check.

Natasha’s Law is one of the most important changes to UK food labelling in recent years, and it directly affects the food many of us grab when we are out. Understanding what it did, and what it does not cover, helps you read food-to-go labels with confidence rather than guessing.

What the law changed

Natasha’s Law came into force in October 2021. It requires food that is prepacked for direct sale to carry a full list of ingredients, with the 14 major allergens emphasised within that list so they stand out. In practice, that emphasis almost always means bold text.

Before the law, this category of food often carried no ingredient label at all. A sandwich made and wrapped in a shop in the morning could sit on the shelf with nothing more than a product name. For anyone managing a food allergy, that left a real gap, because the very foods you might grab quickly were the ones with the least information. The law closed that gap by bringing food-to-go in line with the full ingredient labelling already required on factory-packed products.

What “prepacked for direct sale” means

The phrase sounds technical, but the idea is straightforward. Prepacked for direct sale describes food that is packaged before the customer chooses it, on the same premises where it is sold. The classic example is a sandwich, salad or wrap that is made in the morning, wrapped, and placed on a shelf or in a chiller for people to pick up themselves.

This is different from two other situations. It is not the same as factory-packed food sold in a supermarket, which has always carried a full ingredients list. And it is not the same as food made fresh to order in front of you, such as a roll filled at the counter while you wait. That distinction matters, because the labelling rules differ.

Why it matters when you buy food to go

For someone with a food allergy, Natasha’s Law means that grab-and-go food now gives you the same information you would expect on a packaged product. You can read the ingredients, scan the emphasised allergens, and make a confident decision without having to find a member of staff first.

It is worth getting into the habit of actually reading those labels rather than assuming. A familiar sandwich might be made to a slightly different recipe in a different branch, or the recipe might have changed. The label is there precisely so you do not have to rely on memory.

What the law does not do

Natasha’s Law is a genuine step forward, but it is not a complete safety net, so it helps to know its edges.

It applies to food prepacked for direct sale. Food made fresh to order, such as a sandwich built at the counter, does not have to carry a written ingredients label, although the business must still give you accurate allergen information if you ask. So for made-to-order food, asking staff directly is still the right move.

The emphasis also covers the 14 major allergens as deliberate ingredients. It does not, on its own, tell you about cross-contamination in the kitchen, which is the job of any voluntary “may contain” wording, and it does not help if an allergen is hiding under a name you do not recognise.

When you pick up food on the go, read the full ingredients list and the emphasised allergens carefully every time. To check the hidden names an allergen can travel under, use The Food Allergy Lab before you buy.

Written and reviewed by the Food Allergy Lab editorial team.