How to write an allergen label from your ingredients, step by step

You've got a cake and a pile of ingredient packets. Here's exactly how to turn them into a compliant label — first the manual method so you understand it, then the shortcut.

The manual method (so you understand what's happening)

Step 1: Gather every ingredient packet

Everything that goes into the bake — flour, butter, sugar, eggs, flavourings, decorations. You need the ingredients list printed on each one, not just the product name.

Step 2: Write out every sub-ingredient

For each packet, copy the full ingredients as printed. "Self-raising flour" becomes "wheat flour, raising agents (…), salt." "Chocolate" becomes its full list including soya lecithin and milk. Drop any percentages — they describe the packet, not your cake.

Step 3: Combine and order by weight

Merge everything into one list, ordered by how much of each you used — heaviest first. This is a legal requirement, not a stylistic choice.

Step 4: Emphasise the allergens

Go through and bold any of the 14 allergens wherever they appear — wheat, milk, egg, soya, and so on. (Not sure which count? See our 14 allergens guide.)

Step 5: Add the rest of the label

Product name, the standard allergen advice line, best-before or use-by as appropriate, storage, and your business name. Print it, stick it on.

The fast method

That's a lot of careful transcription per product — and transcription is exactly where mistakes creep in. This is the job BakeLabels was built for:

1. Photograph the ingredients list on each packet. BakeLabels reads the text and strips out percentages automatically.
2. Check each reading against the packet and fix anything misread. Allergens are highlighted for you.
3. Enter the grams you used and tap sort — it orders the list heaviest-first.
4. Add your details, pick a label size, and print.

It turns a fiddly twenty-minute job into a couple of minutes — while still leaving the all-important final check in your hands. See it in action on the how it works page.

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.