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

It's one of the most-asked questions in home baking — and the answer hinges on whether you're a business and how the cakes are packaged. Here's how to work out where you stand.

The short answer

It depends on two things: whether you count as a food business, and whether the cakes are packaged before the customer picks them.

If you're running a stall as a business and your cakes are boxed or wrapped in advance, that's pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) — and yes, they need a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised. If the cakes are loose and cut/bagged when the customer chooses, the rules are different (see below).

The genuine charity/one-off exception

Occasional bake sales run by private individuals for charity — a school fete, a church cake sale, a one-off fundraiser — are generally not treated as a food business, so the full PPDS labelling rules don't bite in the same way. The reasoning is that there's no "continuity of activity and degree of organisation" that makes you a business.

That said, allergies don't care whether a cake was sold for charity. Even when you're not legally required to label, telling people what's in the cakes (a simple ingredients card next to each item) is good practice and genuinely protects people.

What if my cakes are loose, not pre-packaged?

If cakes sit out whole and you cut or bag a slice only when someone orders, that's "non-prepacked" food rather than PPDS. You don't need a full label on each item, but you do still have to make allergen information available — verbally or in writing — for anyone who asks. The FSA now encourages written allergen information even for non-prepacked food.

Selling at a market stall regularly?

Then you're almost certainly a food business, and pre-packed items need full PPDS labels. Note that food sold from a mobile or temporary premises (a stall, a van, a marquee) is specifically covered by the PPDS rules when it's packaged before selection — being outdoors or temporary doesn't exempt you.

Before your next stall

If you're crossing from "occasional charity bake" into "regular stall," two things to sort: register as a food business (free, required), and get your allergen labels ready. BakeLabels makes the labels quick — photograph your ingredients, and print a compliant label per product.

This article is general information, not legal advice, and food law can change. For current official guidance see the Food Standards Agency (food.gov.uk), including its PPDS allergen labelling guidance, or contact your local council's environmental health team.