Allergy advice for your PTA event
Image: Two primary school age girls eating ice cream.
Cake stall? Easy.
Barbecue? Lovely.
Tuck shop at the disco? What could possibly go wrong!
And then someone mentions allergies, labelling, choking risks, Natasha’s Law, Benedict’s Law, the new EYFS food guidance and GDPR, and suddenly you’re wondering whether a packet of biscuits needs its own risk assessment.
The good news is that PTAs are not schools. Your responsibilities are not exactly the same as the school’s. Schools have statutory duties around pupils, safeguarding, medical needs, health care plans and early years provision, while PTAs are volunteer-led charities organising community events and fundraising activities.
But, and it is an important but, food safety still matters.
If you are selling or providing food at a PTA event, especially where children are attending, you must think carefully about allergens, labelling, supervision, hygiene, choking risks and communication before the day arrives.
Not to make life harder, but to keep people safe.
Natasha’s Law and why PTAs should pay attention
Natasha’s Law came into effect in October 2021 after the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who had a severe allergic reaction after eating food that did not have clear allergen information.
The law applies to food businesses, selling food that is pre-packed for direct sale, often called PPDS food. In plain English, that means food packaged on the same site where it is sold, before the customer chooses it. For example, sandwiches, cakes or snack bags made and wrapped in advance for sale at an event.
Under Natasha’s Law, PPDS food must be labelled with the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with the 14 major allergens clearly emphasised.
Most PTAs are not registered food businesses but you should still make it easy for people to choose safe food at your events. If food is homemade and being sold loose, such as slices of cake on a cake stall, you may not need the same style of label as a shop-bought packaged item. But you should still make allergen information available and be honest about what you do and do not know.
If parents donate food, ask them to provide an ingredients list. Keep packaging for shop-bought items. Label clearly where you can. If you cannot be confident about the ingredients, say so.
That might feel awkward, but it is much better than giving false reassurance.
Benedict’s Law and allergy awareness
You may also have heard people talk about Benedict’s Law, named after Benedict Blythe, a young child who died after an allergic reaction at school. Since September, Benedict’s Law has been in place in maintained schools and academies. This means there are now safeguards in place for pupils with allergies including clearer policies, staff training and better communication.
Whether you are talking about current legal duties, campaign aims or good practice, the message for PTAs is the same: allergies need to be taken seriously.
PTAs are not responsible for managing pupils’ individual healthcare plans in the way schools are. That sits with the school but if your PTA is running an event on school grounds, inviting families in, selling food or offering snacks to children, it is sensible to work with the school rather than separately from it.
Ask questions such as:
- Are there any foods the school avoids at events?
- Does the school ask for certain ingredients to be avoided, such as nuts or sesame, or is there an allergen-aware policy?
- Will children attend without their parents or carers?
- Who is responsible for supervision?
- What should volunteers do in an emergency?
This does not need to be onerous, but a clear plan is important to keep people safe.
What about GDPR and allergy information?
This is where things can feel tricky.
Allergy information is health information, so it needs to be handled carefully. A school should not simply hand over a full list of children’s medical needs to the PTA because “it might be useful”. Under UK GDPR, information shared should be necessary, proportionate and limited to the people who genuinely need it.
That does not mean allergy information can never be shared. It means it needs to be done properly.
For example, if the PTA is running a disco where children are attending without their parents and food will be provided, the school and PTA should agree in advance what information volunteers need to keep children safe. That might mean the school keeps responsibility for identifying children with allergies, or that a named PTA organiser receives limited information for that specific event.
The important words are: limited, relevant and secure.
Not every volunteer needs every detail. Allergy information should not be posted casually in a WhatsApp group, left on a trestle table or discussed in front of other families. If information is shared, it should be with the right people, for the right reason, for that event, and then deleted or returned afterwards.
Parents should also know how information will be used. Event forms can help by asking parents or carers to provide allergy details directly to the PTA for that event. That is often simpler and clearer than relying on the school to pass information across.
And just to be clear: sharing allergy information does not transfer the school’s medical responsibilities to the PTA. It simply helps everyone make safer decisions.
The new EYFS food guidance
The updated EYFS food guidance has also put a stronger spotlight on safe eating for younger children, especially around choking, allergies and suitable food. While this guidance is aimed at early years providers, PTAs should still take note if events include nursery, reception or preschool-aged children.
Younger children may need closer supervision, smaller portions and foods prepared in safer ways.
Think about things like:
- Grapes and cherry tomatoes being cut lengthways
- Avoiding whole nuts and hard sweets
- Being careful with popcorn, marshmallows, sausages and similar choking risks
- Making sure children sit down while eating
A snack that feels harmless for Year 6 may not be suitable for a four-year-old.
So what should PTAs actually do?
You do not need to panic. You need a simple, sensible approach.
Before your event, agree who is responsible for food planning. Check whether food is being sold, given away, homemade, pre-packed, cooked on site or donated. Ask for ingredients where possible. Keep packaging. Label clearly.
Speak to the school early, especially if the event is on school premises or children are attending without parents. Agree how allergy information will be handled, who needs to know, and how it will be kept confidential.
And if in doubt, keep it simple.
Food brings people together. It is part of what makes PTA events feel welcoming, generous and fun. We do not want volunteers frightened away from running a cake stall or serving tea at the Christmas fair.
But we do want everyone to feel safe.
PTAs may not have the same responsibilities as schools, but they are part of the same school community. A little planning, clear labelling, careful information sharing and good communication can make a huge difference.
And if your event paperwork now includes “Who is cutting the grapes?” and “Who has the allergy list?” alongside “Who has the raffle tickets?” then honestly, that sounds about right.
That’s PTA life.
Practical, busy, slightly chaotic, and always trying to do the right thing.
Special thanks to The Allergy Team, the school allergy safety experts, for helping Parentkind write this blog post. Contact them for more information about allergy management in schools.
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