Natasha’s Law Explained: What Food Businesses Must Get Right About Allergens

🟧 The Problem:

Most food businesses think they’re handling allergens correctly.

There’s usually:

• A folder behind the counter
• A printed allergen sheet on the wall
• A team member who “knows the menu”

And for a long time, that felt like enough.

But under Natasha's Law, it isn’t.

🟧 What Changed — and Why It Matters

Natasha’s Law came into force in October 2021 following the tragic death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who suffered a fatal allergic reaction after eating a product that did not clearly display allergen information.

The law introduced stricter requirements for Prepacked for Direct Sale (PPDS) foods.

🟧 If you sell PPDS food, you must now:

• Clearly label all ingredients
• Highlight the 14 legally recognised allergens
• Ensure information is accurate and up to date

🟧 What hasn’t changed:

• You are still responsible for providing allergen information for all food
• Customers can still ask staff directly
• You must still ensure staff are informed and trained

🟧 What has changed:

👉 The expectation of accuracy, visibility, and consistency has increased significantly

👉 And crucially:

“I think it’s fine” is no longer acceptable

🟧 The Real Pressure (That No One Talks About)

On paper, the law is straightforward.

In reality, it creates pressure in the exact moment that matters most:

👉 When a customer asks:
“Does this contain [allergen]?”

Now your team has to:

• Find the right information
• Trust it’s correct
• Deliver the answer confidently
• Do it quickly — without holding up service

And this is where many businesses struggle.

Because in practice:

• Information is spread across sheets, folders, or memory
• Updates aren’t always reflected everywhere
• Staff confidence varies
• Service slows down

👉 That’s where risk appears.

Not because businesses don’t care —
but because the system isn’t built for real-world use.

🟧 What “Getting It Right” Actually Looks Like

Compliance isn’t just about having the information.

It’s about being able to:

✔ Access it instantly
✔ Trust that it’s accurate
✔ Deliver it confidently to the customer
✔ Do all of that without disrupting service

In other words:

Allergen information needs to live inside your operation — not alongside it

🟧 A Smarter Way to Manage Allergens

This is exactly the problem we set out to solve when building POSable.

Instead of relying on:

• Printed sheets
• Memory
• Separate systems

POSable allows you to:

• Attach allergen information directly to each product
• Scan or select items instantly
• View allergen data immediately at the point of sale
• Give customers clear answers without delay

👉 No searching
👉 No second guessing
👉 No disruption to service

🟧 The Outcome: Confidence (For Everyone)

When allergen management is handled properly:

For staff:

• Less pressure
• Clear answers
• More confidence

For customers:

• Faster service
• Greater trust
• Safer experience

For the business:

• Stronger compliance
• Reduced risk
• Better operational flow

🟧 Final Thought

Natasha’s Law didn’t just change labelling requirements.

It raised the standard for how food businesses handle allergen information — every day, in real time.

And the businesses that adapt best won’t be the ones with the thickest folders.

They’ll be the ones with systems that make doing the right thing:

👉 simple
👉 consistent
👉 and immediate