Current Food Labelling regulations

Current Food Labelling regulations

1. A food label must show :

   • Must be on the front
     • Name of the food
     • "best before" or "use by" date
     • Any necessary warnings:
       • Caffeine over 150 mg/l "not suitable for children, pregnant women and persons sensitive to caffeine"
       • Tartrazine (E102) "May have an adverse effect on activity and attention of children"
       • Sweeteners and sugars "With sugar and sweeteners"
       • Polyols "Excessive consumption may cause a laxative effect"
       • Aspartame "Contains a source of phenylalanine"
     • Quantity information
   • List of ingredients (if more than 2)
   • The name and address of the manufacturer/packer/seller
   • The lot number (use-by-date)
   • Any special storage conditions
   • Instruction for use or cooking (if necessary)

2. Quantity Information

   • Net quantity in g, kg, ml, l to be put on the label of:
     • Packaged foods over 5g or 5ml
     • Packaged herbs and spices
   • Solid foods packed in a liquid must show the drained net weight
   • Able to see the quantity information when you read the name of the food on the label
   • Able to see the alcoholic strength when you read the name of the alcohol on the label

3. Using the ℮ mark

   • Product can be exported to another European Economic Area (EEA) country without having to meet the weights and measures requirements of that country.

4. Information to be shown if necessary

   • A warning on drinks with an alcohol content above 1.2%
   • A warning if the product contains GM ingredients (unless there presence is accidental and 0.9% or less)
   • A warninig if the product has been raidiated
   • The words ‘packaged in a protective atmosphere’ if the food is packaged using a packaging gas

5. Country of origin

   • The label for beef, veal, fish and shellfish, honey, olive oil, wine, most fruit and vegetables and poultry imported from outside the EU must show the country of origin.
   • You must also show the country of origin if customers might be misled without this information

6. Ingredients list

   • If food or drink contains 2 or more ingredients (including additives) they must all be listed - listed by weight with main ingredient first
   • Percentage of an ingredient must be shown if it is:
     • Highlighted by the labelling or a picture on a package ("extra cheese")
     • Mentioned in the name of the product ("cheese and onion pastry")
     • normally connected with the name by the consumer (fruit in a "summer pudding")
   • Allergens (if a product contains any of these ingredients it needs to be clearly stated in the ingredients list
     • Celery
     • Cereals containing gluten
     • Crustaceans
     • Eggs
     • Fish
     • Lupin
     • Milk
     • Mustard
     • Molluscs
     • Nuts
     • Peanuts
     • Sesame seeds
     • Soya beans
     • Sulphur dioxide at levels above 10 mg/kg

7. Nutrition labelling

   • Must have nutrition labelling if:
     • It makes a nutrition or health claim
     • Vitamins or minerals have been added to the food
   • If selling/ manufacturing/importing food suplimens or a food fortified with vitamins and minerals certain rules need to be followed

8. Organic foods

   • A retailer can label a product organic if at least 95% of a farm-grown ingredients are organic
   • A retailer can label a product as organic if it is sold directly to costumers in their shop
   • Have to be certified by one of the organic control bodies, they have to then
     • Follow a strict set of guidelines laid out by national and internationallaw
     • Keep thorough and accurate records of production processes
     • Allow annual and random inspections