What needs to be on my allergen ingredient label?

Business name

Your business name should be on the label so customers know who made the bake.

Address (check with your EHO)

Whether you must show an address can depend on your local authority and how you sell.

For some cake sheds, customers already know where you are and can trace the business back to you, so some EHOs do not insist on a full address on every label. That is not universal. Ask your EHO what they want for your setup.

If you sell prepacked goods at a market, or to a wholesaler, an address is much more likely to be required. When in doubt, check before you print a big batch.

Ingredients in weight order

The ingredients list should be in weight order. What you use most by weight comes first, then the next, down to the smallest amount. Bakers miss this more often than you would think.

A simple way to work it out is from your recipe. Whatever ingredient has the highest grams (or the largest amount in whatever unit you use) goes highest on the list. The lowest amount goes last.

Full sub ingredients, not just product names

You cannot only write the shop product name. You need the full sub ingredients from that pack.

Example: do not stop at “chocolate”. Write it out properly, such as chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, and the rest of that pack’s list).

The list can get long. Where you can, choose less processed ingredients so the finished label stays clearer and shorter. You still have to declare what is actually in the bake.

You do not need to copy percentage figures from packs into your label list (for example “70% cocoa” style lines on a chocolate bar). Those pack marketing numbers are not what your ingredients list is for. If cocoa is in the bake, cocoa (or the correct name from the pack) should appear in the list. The cacao percentage line itself is not the point.

Allergens in bold (or capitals)

The 14 major allergens that appear in your ingredients list should stand out. In practice that usually means bold. Some bakers also use CAPITALS. Confirm with your EHO which style they are happy with.

Labels must be clear and easy to read. Tiny text that nobody can scan quickly defeats the point.

Good practice is to add an allergy advice line, for example:

Allergy advice: for allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold (or in CAPITALS, if that is how you emphasise them).

Best before or use by

Natasha's Law is mainly about the name and the full ingredients list with allergens emphasised. Separate food labelling rules often also expect a durability date on prepacked food: usually a best before date, or a use by date when the food is highly perishable.

Many home bakers put a best before on packed cakes, and many EHOs like to see one. Exact expectations can depend on what you sell and how you sell it. Check with your EHO what they want for your bakes.

May contain: do not double up

If an allergen is already in your ingredients list (for example eggs), you do not also need to put that same allergen under “may contain”. That is a common mistake. “May contain” is for possible cross contamination style warnings, not for repeating allergens you already declared as ingredients.

Quick checklist

• Business name
• Address if your EHO / selling method requires it
• Full ingredients in weight order
• Sub ingredients opened out (not just “chocolate”)
• Allergens emphasised (bold and/or capitals, as agreed with your EHO)
• Clear, readable text
• Allergy advice line (good practice)
• Best before or use by when required for your prepacked bakes (check with your EHO)
• No need to repeat listed allergens under may contain
• No need to copy pack percentage / cacao % lines into the ingredients list

How BakeSafe helps

BakeSafe helps you build allergen ingredient labels from the packs you bake with, emphasise allergens, and print when you are ready. You still check every word before you sell. It supports your labelling. It does not replace your checks or your EHO.

Allergen labels in BakeSafe · The 14 allergens · What is Natasha's Law?