Food Labelling Guide

Blog Updated: October 2024

Are you a food manufacturer, or small business owner, getting ready to create labels for your new pre-packaged food product? Worldwide, there are strict rules and regulations regarding the packaging information for pre-packed foods and what information the labels must include. Across the UK and EU, it is a legal requirement to add accurate and clear information regarding your food products’ contents.

In this guide, we’ll be laying out everything you need to know about food labels.

Mandatory Information For Food Labels

Quantitative Declaration of Ingredients (QUID)

You must include a list of all ingredients contained in your product, and there are various formatting requirements that you need to follow, including:

The ingredients list should be formatted in descending order of weight
You must include percentages of each ingredient
You must highlight allergens

Nutritional Information

Your labels must display the amount of energy (calories and kilojoules), fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugars, proteins and salts. These should be broken down by the amount per 100 grams, or 100 ml of the food. Nutritional information may also be shown per portion, provided the number of portions contained in the pack is clearly displayed.

Front-of-pack nutrition labels

Lots of pre-packaged foods now use the traffic light system to display nutritional information compared to what is deemed as in line with a healthy diet. Using red, amber and green colour coding makes it easy for customers to make decisions about if a food is healthy or not. This is known as Reference Intake (RI).

RI Values are evaluated based on a woman’s daily values if she is a normal size and does the average amount of physical activity. Daily adult RI values as part of a healthy diet are:

Energy: 2,000kcal (8,400 kJ)
Total Fat: 70g
Saturates: 20g
Carbohydrates: 260g
Total Sugars: 90g
Protein: 50g
Salt: 6g

Using these values as a baseline, you can colour-code your front-of-pack nutritional information to show if your product has high, medium or low amounts of each value. You must also show a percentage of your product values compared to the total daily value, so if your product contains 500 calories, this would be 25% of the consumer’s daily recommended intake.

Allergen Information

Highlighting allergen information on pre-packaged food product labels is vital, and could save lives for people with allergies, such as celiac disease.

14 specified substances cause allergies or intolerances and must be highlighted on your food labels including:

Cereals containing gluten
Crustaceans – including prawns, crabs, lobster and crayfish
Peanuts
Eggs
Fish
Nuts – including Brazil nuts, pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews and macadamia nuts
Soybeans
Milk
Celery and celeriac
Mustard
Sesame seeds
Lupin
Molluscs – including clams, mussels, whelks, oysters and squid
Sulphur dioxide/sulphites (a preservative found in some dried fruit) – but only when present in concentrations over 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/l

You can not use short statements such as “contains nuts” unless the product falls under a category where you don’t have to display an ingredient list. Examples of this include wine that contains more than 1.2% alcohol, where you may display statements such as “contains sulphates” on the label.

You must ensure that allergens are identified on your packaging, whether this is through symbols or the ingredients list. Manufacturers may highlight these by using bold or capitalised text, italics, underlining or contrasting colours.

Dates & Storage Information

Date labels can be “use by” or “best before”, depending on what category your food item falls into. You must use the right wording for expiration dates, based on your product’s contents.

Use by date

A use by date must be used on foods that go off quickly and could cause a health risk if consumed after that date, such as:

Dairy Products
Raw Meat or Fish
Cooked Meats
Prepared Salads

Customers should never consume food or drinks after the use by date. You will also need to add storage information for these products, advising that the product will spoil quicker if it’s not stored as per the guidelines.

Best before date

A best before date refers to the food’s quality, rather than its safety if consumed after the date stated.

Foods that state a best before date rather than a use by date are safe to eat after the date listed, but they may not look or taste the same after this period.

Best before dates are commonly used on frozen, dried and tinned foods. It’s worth noting that the best before date will only be accurate if the foods have been stored correctly.

Storage Instructions

To ensure that your food is safe to eat, you should include storage instructions on your food labels. Common instructions include guidance such as “keep refrigerated”, “store in a cool dry place” or “refrigerate after opening”.

You may also want to state a storage temperature, especially for the “use by” products listed in the above section. This may be statements such as “Refrigerate below 5°C”.

Country or place of origin information

Certain food products are required to clearly state the country or place of origin. These products include:

Meat and poultry
Fish and shellfish
Olive Oil
Honey
Wine
Fruit and vegetables

Certain foods from EU countries or Northern Ireland can show “Origin EU”, rather than the specific country. Since the 31st of December 2023, food items from Great Britain can’t use the Origin EU label, and must instead state the country of origin.

You also need to include place of origin information if your packaging uses graphics or images that could mislead customers. For example, if you sell a pizza with an Italian flag on the packaging that is made in the UK, you must make this clear.

If your product’s main ingredients are from different countries, you must also make this clear on the packaging. For example, for a meat pie that’s labelled as British due to being produced in the UK, but uses imported meat, the packaging must contain a warning such as “Made with beef from outside of the UK”.

Warnings and Additional Information

Some types of food and drink products have additional information that they must display. These include:

Warnings on alcoholic products with an alcohol content above 1.2%
Warnings if the product contains GM ingredients unless their presence is accidental or less than 0.9%
Warnings if the product has been irradiated
Contain the words “packaged in a protective atmosphere” if the food is packaged using a packaging gas

You must also tell the consumer if your products contain:

Sweeteners or sugars
Aspartame and colourings
Liquorice
Caffeine
Polyols

Packaging Requirements For Food Labels

Quantity Information

Your packaging should state the net quantity of your product in grams, kilograms or litres on the label for:

Packaged foods over 5g or 5ml
Packaged herbs and spices
Solid foods packed in a liquid or ice glaze must show a drained net weight

The net quantity should be close enough to the name of the food product that all the information can be seen at once. This also applies to alcohol percentages on alcoholic drink products.

You don’t have to display the net weight or volume of foods that are portioned by number rather than weight. For example with a 4 pack of donuts, the consumer can clearly see the number of items inside the packaging.

Preparation Instructions

If your food product needs to be prepared or cooked, you must include preparation instructions on your packaging. For ovens, microwaves and air fryers, you should include the recommended temperature as well as the cooking time.

You should also contain a warning on raw meat products stating they’re not safe for consumption if not prepared and cooked thoroughly, as per the instructions. You may also include guidance on the food’s final temperature, such as “ensure food is heated to a core temperature of 75°C to minimise the risk of food poisoning”.

Name & Address of Manufacturer

Food businesses must include their business name and address on the product packaging or food label. This may be either of the following:

The name of the business whose name the food is marketed under; or
The address of the business that has imported the food

Food products sold in Northern Ireland must include a NI or EU address for the food business. If the food business is not in Northern Ireland or the EU, they must include the address of the importer, based in Northern Ireland or the EU.

Since the 1st of January 2024, food products sold in GB must include a UK, Channel Islands or the Isle of Man address for the food business. If the food business is not in GB, they must include the address of the importer, based in the UK, Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

You must provide a physical address so that consumers can contact your business by mail, you can’t use an email address or phone number. This address can be used by customers to send complaints, queries or communications about your products.

Special rules for some food products

Some types of food have different, extra or special rules about what must be displayed on their labels. If you supply any of the following products, you should research the specific labelling requirements:

Bottled water
Bread and flour
Cocoa and chocolate products
Fats and oils
Fish
Fruit juices and nectars
Honey
Jams and preserves
Products containing meat
Milk products
Soluble coffee
Sugar

How to display mandatory information on your food labels

Placement and Visibility

Mandatory information must be shown with words and numbers, or displayed using pictograms and symbols. Mandatory information must also be:

Easy to see
Legible and difficult to remove, where appropriate
Not be hidden in any way, obscured, detracted from or interrupted by any other written or pictorial manner
Should not require consumers to open the product to access the mandatory information

As explained in this guide, it is required that certain information is displayed on the front of your labels, rather than the back or side, such as the food name.

Font Size and Contrast

The minimum font size for mandatory information must be printed with a minimum x-height of 1.2mm.

If the largest surface area of packaging is less than 80cm squared, you can use a minimum x-height of 0.9mm.

It is also required that your mandatory text or symbols contrast any background colour or images adequately, to ensure that it is easy for customers to see and read.

Language

As English is the primary language for food items sold in the UK, it’s important to include English written language on your food labels. This ensures that consumers can easily understand the information provided.

There are some exceptions where additional languages may be required:

Welsh: If the target market for your product is predominantly Welsh-speaking, the label should also contain Welsh written language information. This is particularly relevant for products sold in Wales.
Other languages outside of the UK: If your product is imported from non-English speaking countries, additional languages may be included on the label. This can also help to cater for specific consumer groups or comply with international trade regulations.

It’s important to note that while English is the primary language, any additional languages used on a label should not compromise the clarity or legibility of the required information.

Navigating Food Labeling Compliance

Ensuring your food products comply with UK labelling regulations is crucial for protecting consumer health and safety, as well as avoiding legal penalties. By following the guidelines outlined in this guide, you can create accurate and informative food labels that meet all requirements.

Do you need expert guidance on food label design and compliance? Our team of experienced professionals is here to help. Contact us today for your food labels and let us ensure your products meet all UK food labelling regulations.

Disclaimer: All information is correct at the time of publication and should only be used as a guide. We do not take any responsibility for any errors or omissions.