Food Labelling in the Kitchen: Date Codes, Natasha’s Law & the Best Labels (UK Guide)

Labelling is the unglamorous end of food safety — and one of the most important. It’s where good intentions turn into an audit trail: proof that your stock is rotated, your dates are controlled, and your customers know what’s in their food. It’s also one of the first things an Environmental Health Officer checks. Here’s how to get labelling right, and the kit that makes it effortless.

Why labelling matters more than it looks

A label does two big jobs in a professional kitchen. First, date control and stock rotation — knowing what was made when, using it in the right order (first in, first out), and never serving food past its use-by. Second, allergen information — telling customers, clearly and reliably, what’s in the food. Get either wrong and the consequences range from a failed inspection to a genuinely dangerous situation. Get them right and you’ve built a paper trail that protects your customers and your business.

Date labelling & stock rotation

The golden rule: if you decant it or prep it, date it. The moment food leaves its original packaging, the manufacturer’s date stops applying — so relabel with your own prep date and use-by. Then run FIFO (first in, first out) so older stock gets used first. A quick word on the two dates you’ll see:

• Use-by — a safety date. Never use food after it.
• Best-before — a quality date. Food may still be safe after it, just past its best.

A tidy day-dot or use-by label system is the difference between confident stock control and a fridge full of mystery tubs.

Allergen labelling & Natasha’s Law

Since October 2021, Natasha’s Law has required food that’s prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) to carry the product name and a full ingredients list, with the 14 named allergens emphasised. For loose and made-to-order food you still must be able to give accurate allergen information on request. Clear allergen labelling is the simplest, most reliable way to meet this — and to protect customers for whom an allergen isn’t an inconvenience but a genuine danger.

Allergen management is a whole discipline in itself — our Level 2 Food Allergy Awareness course covers it properly, and it ties into HACCP and Level 2 Food Safety.

Removable vs permanent — the hygiene detail people miss

Here’s a small thing that catches kitchens out: labels that won’t come off. Layers of old, half-scrubbed date labels on a container are unhygienic and look terrible to an inspector. Removable or dissolvable labels solve it — they hold while you need them, then lift cleanly (or dissolve) in the wash. Save strong, permanent freezer labels for long-term frozen storage where they need to survive the cold.

What to look for when buying labels

• Removable / dissolvable adhesive — so old labels don’t build up.
• The right job — use-by/date labels, allergen stickers, or a coding gun for speed.
• Freezer-grade where you need it — holds in the cold, still removes later.
• Legible — writable with clear space, or printed for consistency.
• Food-safe adhesive — suitable for use around food.

The best food labelling kit, compared

Five picks covering the jobs labelling actually has to do — rotation, allergens, everyday dating, freezer storage and speed. Prices shift on Amazon, so we’ve linked to the live listing rather than quote a figure that’ll be stale by tomorrow.

So, what should you buy?

Most kitchens want two things: a reliable date system and allergen labels. For date control, the DayMark dispenser makes it a habit, while the removable use-by roll is the cheap everyday workhorse and the 4000-label freezer pack covers high-volume and cold storage. Add the allergen stickers for Natasha’s Law, and if you’re date-coding at volume the Meto gun pays for itself in saved time.

None of it works without the habit behind it: label everything, rotate properly, and keep your allergen information accurate and up to date.

Food labelling: frequently asked questions

Is date labelling a legal requirement in a commercial kitchen?

Food law requires you to sell food that’s safe and to control it using HACCP principles — and stock rotation with clear date labels is one of the simplest controls there is. In practice, labelling decanted and prepped food with a date is expected as part of your food safety management (Safer Food, Better Business and similar), and it’s one of the first things an inspector checks.

What is Natasha’s Law and do I need allergen labels?

Natasha’s Law (in force since October 2021) means food that’s prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) must carry the product name and a full ingredients list, with the 14 named allergens emphasised. Even for loose or made-to-order food, you must be able to give accurate allergen information. Clear labelling is the easiest way to do that reliably. We cover this in detail in our Level 2 Food Allergy Awareness course.

Use-by or best-before — what’s the difference?

Use-by is about safety — don’t use food after its use-by date. Best-before is about quality — food may be fine after it, just past its best. In a kitchen, once you open or decant something you should relabel it with your own prep date and use-by, because the original packaging date no longer applies.

Removable or permanent labels — which should I use?

For most kitchen use, removable (or dissolvable) labels are best: they lift cleanly so old dates don’t build up on your containers, which keeps things hygienic and audit-friendly. Keep permanent or strong freezer-grade labels for long-term frozen storage where you need them to survive the cold.

What are the 14 allergens?

Celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, soya and sulphur dioxide/sulphites. These are the allergens UK law requires you to declare.

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