Does Your Food Labelling Have The Right Information?

Getting the labelling right on food products can be a complicated task, with a mixture of legal requirements and industry best practices to consider.

Intuitively, we all know that labelling is a vitally important consideration for anyone in the food manufacturing or packaging sector. However, the requirements can become clouded by rumour,

 misinformation and goalposts that have a habit of moving with some regularity. As a result, it is easy to get a little lost trying to tell apart the essentials, the recommendations and the “nice to haves.”

The consequences of getting it wrong can be significant. Labelling regulation exists to protect consumers and make sure food labels provide them with the information they need in order to make informed and confident food choices based on a number of factors including allergies, diet, cost and personal taste.

The Food Standards Agency monitors compliance with labelling requirements and works hard to combat mislabelling. If food products are deliberately mislabelled, those responsible could be charged with criminal fraud, while there are other laws that deal with false description or advertising.

Essential requirements

Certain food types have specific rules and regulations regarding their labelling, but before we consider those, let’s look at the basic requirements that apply across the board. There are certain pieces of information that are mandatory on every food label and these are as follows:

• Food name
• Manufacturer or food business operator’s name and address
• Ingredients list
• Any ingredients or processing agents that can cause allergies or intolerances s listed in the 14 Allergens
• Net quantity or weight
• Date of minimum durability / “use by” date
• Any special conditions of use
• Any special storage instructions
• Country of origin
• Nutritional declaration

The label must also give instructions for use when necessary – that is, for foods where the absence of such instructions would make it difficult to use them appropriately.

This mandatory information has to be presented in a clear font that is easy to see and meets specific font size regulations. It must not be obscured or printed in such a way that makes it easy to remove.

Natasha's Law

Natasha's Law came into effect on 1 April 2022 which is in place to help protect allergy sufferers. This law requires food businesses to include full ingredients labelling on pre-packed foods for direct sale foods. The introduction of this law came into play after a tragic allergy sufferer consumed a sandwich from a food chain who did not label their ingredients. Displaying the ingredients will make it easier for allergy sufferers to make clear, safe choices when buying food.

Additional rules for specific food types

Above and beyond the mandatory labelling that applies to all, the following food and drink label types have additional requirements:

• Alcoholic beverages
• Products containing high levels of caffeine
• Foods containing certain chemical products and gases
• Foods containing sweeteners
• Frozen meat, frozen unprocessed fish and frozen meat preparations

There are also some food types that have their own sets of rules, although they all encompass the mandatory requirements listed above. These include bread, flour, chocolate, infant products, jam, spreads and margarine, sugars and natural mineral water.

Designing your food labels

If you have all the information you need and an idea of a design our partners offer a full design service including branding (if you wish) to help make your food labels stand out and compliment your product with eye catching colours and finishes. We work hand in hand to advise on the best materials and additional finishes you might want to include to differentiate your labels from your competitors. Get in touch with us for more information.