Do I need allergen labels for a cake stall or bake sale?

When labels usually apply

If your bakes are prepacked for direct sale (PPDS), UK rules commonly called Natasha's Law generally require a full ingredients list with the 14 major allergens emphasised. That covers a lot of cake shed, market stall and collection setups where cakes are boxed or bagged ready to take.

Read more: What is Natasha's Law?

Cake stalls and cake sheds

If customers pick up a packed cake you already prepared, treat labelling as part of the job. Many regular cake shed owners label every product they sell that way. If you are unsure whether your packing method counts as PPDS, check current FSA guidance or ask your local authority.

Bake sales and charity stalls

Rules can feel greyer for one-off bake sales, school fairs and charity tables, especially if food is not prepacked in the same way. Do not guess from a Facebook comment. Use official guidance for the way you are actually selling on the day.

Loose vs packed

Unpackaged food served or sold differently can sit under other allergen information rules (for example information available on request). Packed goods ready for the customer to take are where PPDS-style labels most often come up. The detail matters, so verify for your setup.

A practical prep approach

• List every product you will sell packed
• Build each ingredients list from the packs you used
• Emphasise the 14 allergens in that list
• Check every label against the packaging before you open

For the allergen list with examples, see the 14 allergens you must label.

How BakeSafe fits

BakeSafe helps you photograph ingredient packs (including bulk upload for one recipe), review the text, and print allergen ingredient labels before stall or shed day. It supports your checks. It does not replace them.

Allergen labels in BakeSafe