Cake allergen labels, in the PPDS format
Type your ingredients once and get a printable label with the 14 UK allergens emphasised inside the list.
Free. No signup needed.The short answer
A PPDS label carries the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with the allergens emphasised inside that list rather than on a separate contains line. Type your ingredients below and the 14 UK allergens are picked out for you to check before you print.
Cake allergen labels, in the PPDS format
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Your label
Allergens on this label
Ones spotted in your ingredients are already on. Tap to add or remove. You decide what is true of your recipe, not this tool.
Only add this where there is a real risk you cannot remove by cleaning down and separating. A may-contain warning on everything tells a customer nothing.
Your cake name
Ingredients
Add your ingredients and they will appear here, allergens in bold capitals.
Before you print
Food packed at the same place it is sold, before the customer picks it, needs the name of the food and a full ingredients list with the allergens emphasised inside that list. This tool lays your words out in that format. It cannot see your recipe, your kitchen, or your suppliers, so it cannot confirm a label is correct or that your business is compliant. Check every ingredient against what you actually used, including anything bought in, and check the current rules with the Food Standards Agency or your local authority. Selling at a distance, online or by post, has its own rules.
Read the FSA guidanceEmphasis can be bold, capitals, underline, or a contrasting colour. This label uses bold capitals.
Keep allergen details on the customer record, so the right label prints with the right order.
Start free trialThe 14 allergens, and where they hide
| Allergen | Where it hides in a cake |
|---|---|
| Cereals containing gluten | Wheat flour, most sponges and biscuits |
| Eggs | Sponge, meringue, mousse, some glazes |
| Milk | Butter, cream, milk chocolate, buttercream, ganache |
| Tree nuts | Almonds in marzipan and frangipane, other nuts on top |
| Peanuts | Praline, peanut butter fillings, some decorations |
| Soya | Lecithin in chocolate, some margarines and sprinkles |
| Sesame | Seeds, tahini, some breads and toppings |
| Sulphur dioxide and sulphites | Dried fruit, glace cherries, some fruit fillings |
| Lupin | Some gluten-free flour blends |
| Mustard | Uncommon in cakes, check savoury bakes |
| Celery | Uncommon in cakes, check savoury bakes |
| Fish | Uncommon in cakes |
| Crustaceans | Uncommon in cakes |
| Molluscs | Uncommon in cakes |
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UK allergen labelling for cakes
A label for food packed before it is chosen has to carry the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with allergens emphasised inside that list.
What a label needs
Name of the food, then every ingredient
Food packed at the same place it is sold, before the customer picks it, needs the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with the allergenic ingredients emphasised inside that list. A separate 'contains' line on its own is not the format the rules describe.
Emphasis
Bold, capitals, underline, or a contrasting colour
Any of those count as emphasis, as long as the allergen stands out from the rest of the list. This tool sets matched words in bold capitals, so BUTTER and ALMONDS are visible at a glance in a list of twenty ingredients.
Which cakes
The ones you box up before anyone orders
A tray of brownies wrapped and set out on a market stall is packed before it is chosen. A cake decorated to order and boxed as the customer collects it is handled differently. If you are unsure which side yours falls on, your local authority environmental health team will tell you.
May contain
Only where the risk is real
A precautionary line belongs on a label when there is a genuine risk you cannot remove by cleaning down and working separately. Putting 'may contain nuts' on everything, just in case, gives an allergic customer nothing to work with and no way to buy from you.
FAQ
Common questions
What are the 14 allergens?
Celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, and tree nuts.
What does PPDS mean?
Prepacked for direct sale. It describes food packed at the same place it is sold, before the customer chooses it, such as a tray of brownies wrapped and set out on a stall. Your local authority can confirm which rules apply to how you sell.
Does this make my labels legally compliant?
No, and no tool can promise that. This lays your own words out in the PPDS format. It cannot see your recipe, your kitchen, or what your suppliers changed last month. You are responsible for the label being right. Check the current rules with the Food Standards Agency or your local authority.
How does it know which allergens are in my cake?
It looks for common allergen words in what you typed, such as butter or almonds, and switches those on for you to confirm. It is a prompt, not a check. Every one is yours to confirm or remove before printing.
Do I need a label for a cake I make to order?
The rules for food packed before it is selected are different from food made and handed over to order, and different again for selling at a distance. Your local authority can confirm which applies to how you sell.
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