Food product labelling

Foundation
Information for the nation

Pre-packaged foods have

information on their labels which
can help consumers choose
between different foods, brands,
or flavours.

Much of the information must be

provided by law.
Information for consumers
The following information must appear by law on food
labels:
• the name of the food;
• weight or volume;
• ingredient list;
• allergen information;
• genetically modified (GM) ingredients;
• date mark and storage conditions;
• preparation instructions;
• name and address of manufacturer, packer or seller;
• place of origin;
• lot (or batch) mark;
• nutrition information (from 2016 onwards).
Additional information

Additional information may also be

provided, such as cooking instructions or
serving suggestions.

In the UK, foods sold loose are currently

exempt from many of the food labelling
laws.
The name of the food

It is important that the name of the

food must be clearly stated and not be
ambiguous or misleading.

If the food has been processed in some

way, the process must be included in
the title if it would be misleading not
to, e.g. dried apricots, salted peanuts,
smoked bacon.
The name of the food

The name must also describe the differences

between apparently similar products. For
example, ‘fruit yogurt’ differentiates it from
yogurt using artificial flavourings.

Sometimes foods have made up names, e.g.

‘Bonzo’ which give no information about what
is in them or how they have been processed.
In such cases, a description of the food must
be given.
Weight or volume

The weight or volume of the food must be shown on the

label. By comparing the weight with the price of different
brands, consumers can make sure that they are getting
value for money.

Some foods such as bread, tea and butter are only sold in
standard amounts.

For example, loaves of bread are sold as either 400g or

800g. The actual weight of the product must be within a
few grams of the weight stated on the label. If products
weigh less than 5g then the weight need not be stated.
Ingredients

Ingredients are listed in order of weight, according to the

amounts that were used to make the food, starting with
the largest ingredient and ending with the smallest.

Food additives and water must also be included in the list

if they have been added.

Sometimes a particular ingredient is highlighted in the

name, e.g. ‘Prawn Curry: now with extra prawns’. If so,
the minimum amount of the named ingredient must be
included in the ingredients list, or next to the name of the
food.
Allergy information

Within the European Union, any of the 14 foods

listed on the following slide used in a pre-packed
food, need to be mentioned on the food label.

This enables consumers to understand more about

the ingredients in pre-packed foods and are helpful
for people with food allergies and intolerances who
need to avoid certain foods.
Allergy information

The 14 foods are: • mustard;

• celery; • nuts (such as almonds,
• cereals containing hazelnuts, walnuts, Brazil
gluten (such as wheat, nuts, cashews, pecans,
barley, rye and oats); pistachios and macadamia
• crustaceans (such as nuts);
lobster and crab); • peanuts;
• eggs; • sesame seeds;
• fish; • soybeans;
• lupins; • sulphur dioxide and
• cow’s milk; sulphites (preservatives
• molluscs (such as used in some foods and
mussels and oysters); drinks) at levels above
10mg per kg or per litre.
Genetically modified (GM) ingredients
The presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or
ingredients produced from GMOs must be indicated on the
label. For GM products sold 'loose', information must be
displayed immediately next to the food to indicate that it
is GM. Small amounts of approved GM ingredients (below
0.9% for approved GM varieties) that are accidentally
present in a food do not need to be labelled.

Foods produced with GM technology (e.g. cheese produced

with GM enzymes) and products such as meat, milk and
eggs from animals fed on GM animal feed do not have to be
labelled.
Storage conditions and ‘Use by’ mark

The label must say how long foods should

be kept and how to store them. Following
storage instructions can prevent food from
spoiling too quickly, reduce the risk of food
poisoning and help to make sure that it
tastes and looks its best when it is eaten.

Foods which spoil quickly (i.e. are highly

perishable) such as cooked meat and fish
have a ‘Use by’ date. If kept for too long
these foods can cause food poisoning even
though they may not taste odd.
Freezing star rating system

A simple star system is used to indicate what temperature

the food should be held at and for how long:
* - 6 º C 1 week (pre frozen food only);
** - 12 º C 1 month (pre frozen food only);
*** - 18 º C 3 months (pre frozen food only);
**** - 18 º C or colder 6 months (pre frozen food; can also
be used to freeze fresh food from room temperature).
‘Best before’ date
Other foods have a ‘best before’ date, after which foods
may not be at their best, with regard to flavour, colour and
texture, even though they will probably be safe if they
have been stored according to the instructions on the
label.
One exception to this is eggs, which carry a ‘best before’
date. However it can contain the dangerous bacteria,
salmonella, so eggs should not be consumed after the ‘best
before’ date. New government advice suggests that if the
eggs are cooked thoroughly until both yolk and white are
solid, they can be eaten a day or two after their ‘best
before’ date. This is aimed to help cutting down on food
waste.
Name of address, packer or seller

The name and address of the

manufacturer, packer or seller must be
stated on the label.

Consumers can then contact the

manufacturer if they have a complaint
about a product or if they wish to know
more about it.
Preparation instructions

Instructions on how to prepare and cook the food must be

given on the label, if they are needed. If the food has to
be heated, the temperature of the oven and the cooking
time will usually be stated.

Instructions may also be given for heating in a microwave

oven. These instructions should make sure that the food
tastes its best and that it will be thoroughly heated to a
core temperature of 72ºC to help minimise the risk of food
poisoning.
Place of origin
The label must show clearly where the food has come
from if it would be misleading not to show it, for
example, a tub of ‘Greek Yogurt’ which was made in
France.

The European Union has created three systems to

promote and protect regional food products. These
include the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO),
the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), and the
Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG).
Regional food product protection

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) is used for food

produced, processed and prepared in a given geographical
area using recognised know-how, e.g. West Country
farmhouse Cheddar cheese and Jersey Royal potatoes.
Regional food product protection

Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) the geographical

link must occur in at least one of the stages of
production, processing or preparation, e.g. Melton
Mowbray Pork pie, Scottish farmed salmon and Welsh
lamb.
Regional food product protection

Traditional Specialty Guaranteed

(TSG) highlights traditional
character, either in composition or
means of production, e.g.
traditional farm fresh turkey in the
UK.
Lot (or batch) mark

A lot mark is a code which is required by law to appear

on the label. It helps to identify batches of food in the
event that they need to be recalled by the
manufacturer, packer or producer.

A date mark is sometimes used as a lot mark. Lot marks

may be indicated by the letter ‘L’.

Pre-packed red meat and meat products, for example,

must carry traceability information for identification of
the product through the supply chain back to the farm.
Other information

Other information which may appear on the label includes:

• bar codes;
• nutrition information (mandatory from 2016 onwards)
and front of pack labelling schemes;
• organic certification;
 food assurance schemes, e.g. Red Tractor;
• vegetarian certification.
Consumer information

Food assurance schemes have been developed to

compliment food legislation. They cover the food chain
from farm to fork.
An example is the Red Tractor food assurance scheme
It covers:
 cereals, oilseeds, pulses and sugar;
 fruit, vegetables and salad;
 milk;
 chicken;
 beef, lamb and pig meat.

Multi-ingredient products must contain at least

65% Red Tractor certified ingredients to be
labelled as Red Tractor products.
Consumer information

The Red Tractor logo can only be used to label ingredients

from farmers, growers and food processors that have been
inspected and certified to strict standards. Detailed
technical standards that cover:
• food safety – makes sure your food is safe to eat;
• animal welfare – makes sure animals have everything they
need for a good quality of life; 
• environment – makes sure farmers protect the countryside
by preventing pollution of watercourses, soil, air and
wildlife habitat;
• traceability – every part of the food supply chain is
inspected to ensure food carrying the logo is accounted
for and can be traced back to UK farms.
Bar codes

Many food labels have a bar code and

number on them.

This is not required by law, but bar codes

are a quick and easy way of identifying
items especially at supermarket checkouts
where the scanner can also identify other
information such as the price.

Bar codes are also used for stock control

in shops and warehouses.
Nutrition information

At the moment, foods and drinks do not have to provide

nutrition information on packaging (unless they make a
nutrition or health claim about the product). Where
information is given, some rules have to be followed.

However, provision of information will become

compulsory in the near future and, as described later,
there will be some small changes to the format required.
Nutrition information on the back of pack

The current rules specify the nutrients that can be

included. The information has to be presented per
100g/ml, but could also be provided per portion.
Format 1: ‘Big 4’ Format 2: ‘Big 4 and Little 4’
Energy (kJ and kcal) Energy (kJ and kcal)
Protein (g) Protein (g)
Carbohydrate (g) Carbohydrate (g)
Fat (g) of which sugars (g)
Fat (g)
of which saturates (g)
Fibre (g)
Sodium (g)

Further information can be added to labels such as the

amounts of polyunsaturates, monounsaturates, starch,
cholesterol, vitamins or minerals.
Front-of-pack nutrition labelling

Most of the major supermarkets and many

food manufacturers choose to display
nutritional information on the front of pre-
packaged food and drinks.

There are two major schemes for front-of-

pack labelling in place: traffic light labelling
and Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) labels.
Some packs may use a combination of the
two.
Traffic light labelling
Traffic light labels on the front of pack
provide information on high (red),
medium (amber) or low (green) amounts
of sugars, fat, saturated fat and salt
present in the product, expressed per
100g/ml of the food/drink.

This front-of-pack labelling scheme was

developed by the Food Standards Agency
to give an at-a-glance indication of
whether a food is a healthier choice.
Traffic light labelling

Food Standards Agency

Sugars Fat Saturates Salt

What is
high Over 15g Over 20g Over 5g Over 1.5g
per 100g
What is Between
Between Between Between
medium 0.3g and
per 100g 5g and 15g 3g and 20g 1.5g and 5g
1.5g
What is low
per 100g 5g and 3g and 1.5g and 0.3g and
below below below below
Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA)

GDA labels include the Guideline

Daily Amount for certain nutrients
and the percentage (%) GDA provided
by 100g or 1 portion.

This can be used to compare

products and to choose the one
which best suits the consumer, e.g.
finding the one with the lowest salt
content.
Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA)

GDAs are not targets for individuals to

consume, but a guideline or benchmark to help
people make dietary choices and balance their
daily intake.

Usually GDA values for adult women are used

for food labels. This is because these values
have been developed for the nutrients often
consumed in excess, they represent
benchmarks that should not be exceeded on a
regular basis; however, people’s needs do
vary. Therefore, the values for women are
typically used as these are slightly lower than
those for men.
A combined approach to front-of-pack
nutrition labelling

Some packs may use a combination of

both the traffic light labelling and GDA
labels.

(Department of Health 2011)

New labelling regulations in Europe –
the Food Information Regulation
A new Regulation covering all aspects of food labelling,
including the size of the letters on packaging, came into
force at the end of 2011.

It will make providing nutrition information on the back of

packaged foods compulsory from 2016 (previously it was
optional unless a nutrition or health claim was made). Front-
of-pack labelling will remain optional.

The format of nutrition labels will change slightly under the

new rules and companies can start to use the new format
straightaway, although the old rules (known as the Food
Labelling Regulations) remain legal until 2014.
New labelling regulations in Europe –
the Food Information Regulation

Current back of pack nutrition panel New back of pack nutrition panel

Note that fibre can also be added

to the panel but is not compulsory.
Health claims

Very prescriptive regulations on nutrient claims are now in

force across the European Union.

General claims about benefits to overall good health, such

as ‘healthy’ or ‘good for you’, will only be allowed to be
used if accompanied by an appropriate and approved claim.
This means that more general claims must be backed up by
an explanation of why the food is ‘healthy’ or what makes it
a ‘superfood’.

Labels are not allowed to claim that food can treat, prevent
or cure any disease of medical condition. These sorts of
claims can only be made of licenced medicines.
Nutrition claims

A nutrition claim describes what a food

contains (or does not contain) or contains in
reduced or increased amounts. Examples
include:
 Low fat (less than 3g of fat per 100g food);
 High fibre (at least more than 6g of fibre
per 100g food);
 Reduced sugar (30% less than the original
product);
 Source of vitamin C (at least 15% of the
recommended daily allowance for vitamin
C).
Health claims

A health claim may be featured on the

packaging if a food or one of its ingredients
has been agreed by experts to provide
additional health benefits.

Examples of health claims include:

 Calcium is important for normal growth and
development of bones in children.
Beta-glucans from oats help to reduce blood
cholesterol.
Xylitol in some sugar-free chewing gum helps
neutralise plaque acids.
Organic

Every organic food product needs to gain a certificate from

one of the UK’s organic certification bodies. This
certification can be found on a food label to identify it as
genuinely organic.

Foods may only be marked as ‘organic’ if at least 95% of

their agricultural ingredients are organic. Organic
ingredients in non-organic food may be listed as organic in
the list of ingredients, as long as this food has been
produced in accordance with the organic legislation.

In order to ensure better transparency, the code number of

the control body must be indicated.
Vegetarian

There is currently no single legal definition of the terms

‘vegetarian’ or ‘vegan’ either at the UK or European
level.

Products displaying the ‘Vegetarian Society Approved’

logo must fulfil certain requirements laid down by the
Vegetarian Society.

The ‘Suitable for Vegetarians’ logo is not regulated. It is

known as a ‘voluntary claim’, which means that it is
illegal for the labelling information to include anything
that is false or likely to mislead.
Review of the learning objectives

 To recognise which information, by law, must appear

on food products.

 To recognise the additional information which some

food manufactures choose to place on food labels.

 To understand that foods sold loose are currently

exempt from many of the food labelling laws.
For more information visit

www.nutrition.org.uk

www.foodafactoflife.org.uk