Food labelling and composition
Food labels enable the consumer to make an informed choice when choosing their foods. For this reason the label cannot be inaccurate, misleading or give false claims. This ensures that the consumer remains protected. All food businesses must comply with the food labelling laws, which are enforced, in Barnet, by officers in the Food Safety and Standards team.
Basic information is required by law to appear on labels of most prepacked foods and includes the following:
- The name of the food, so that we know what we are buying. This should be sufficiently precise to inform the purchaser of the true nature of the food. It may be necessary to add a qualifying statement to clarify the name, for example “Vegetable Samosa – a spicy vegetable filled pastry parcel”
- The weight or volume of the food. The e symbol next to the weight of the food gives an average weight. Individual weight or volume will vary but this should only be slightly above or below the average.
- Name and address of the manufacturer or packer (this can be anywhere in the world) and/or the seller within the EC. This allows the product to be traced and it enables us to contact the manufacturer if necessary.
- A date marking for the food. There are two types of date marking:
*** Use By followed by the Day and Month, or, Day Month Year for perishable foods which usually need to be kept cold to maintain safety – for example cooked meats or diary products. The use by date is the date until which the manufacturer of the food guarantees it is safe to eat.
Food which is consumed beyond the use by date may cause harm. It is an offence to sell or even display food beyond its use-by date.
*** Best Before dates are used on foods which can be kept longer. The best before date is the date until which the food will be at its intended quality. After this date the quality may not be of the same standard but this does not mean that the food is dangerous. It is not against the law to sell food after this date unless it has become of unacceptable quality. - The list of ingredients must show all the ingredients of the food. The list must be headed by the word “Ingredients” (or a phrase including that word) and be listed in descending order of weight. This allows the consumer to find out what is in a product and also helps them to avoid things that they don’t like or can not eat due to allergies, health or religious reasons.
Prepacked foods are required by law to be labelled with the quantity of ingredients which are given special emphasis on the label of the product or the name of the food. This is often given as a percentage and can be given in the name of the food or within the list of ingredients.
Certain categories of ingredients, such as additives, must be identified by the category name, for example, “Preservative”, and then identified by the specific (chemical) name or E number for example “sodium nitrate” or “E250” - A lot mark must be given in order that batches of the food can be identified. This must be a unique code prefixed by the letter L if it cannot be easily differentiated from other codes on the label. The date mark can be used as the lot mark if it is given in the form “day, month”.
- The place of origin must be given if not giving it could mislead the consumer. For example if we buy Dublin Bay prawns then they must come from Dublin. If they were not from Dublin the label would have to say where they had come from.
- Instructions for Use are required if it would be or dangerous difficult to use the food without them e.g. how to make a cake from a cake mix.
- Any special storage conditions must be described, for example the storage temperature for perishable foods.
- The presence of the certain ingredients must be clearly stated on the labelling as they are allergens, for example milk, certain nuts, soybeans. They can be stated in the name of the food or identified by wording such as “This food contains the following allergens”. For the full list of allergens contact the Food Safety team or visit the Food Standards Agency website at: www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/foodintolerance
This labelling information must be clearly legible, indelible, conspicuous and easy to understand. The name of the food, date mark, weight or quantity and alcohol strength by volume (if required) must all be in the same field of vision. The field of vision is the amount of visible label you can see when looking at the food.
In addition to English other languages may be included on the label. It is illegal to sell food with a label that does not include an English translation.
Labelling Claims
Some claims are prohibited. Claims that a food can prevent, treat or cure diseases or other “adverse conditions” are prohibited.
Misleading claims or pictures are not allowed. For example a picture of a strawberry on a strawberry flavoured drink would not be allowed unless the flavouring was made mainly or wholly from real strawberries.
Nutritional claims, such as “rich in vitamins” can be used, but only if the food meets set compositional standards. If a nutritional claim is made then the labelling must give all the nutritional information given in the form laid out in the Food Labelling Regulations 1996. If no nutritional claim is being made then there is no requirement to give the nutritional information, although a lot of manufacturers do for the benefit of the consumer.
Further Help
Further labelling advice is available on the Food Standards Agency website www.eatwell.gov.uk/foodlabels and www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/guidancenotes
If you have an enquiry or concern about the sale and labelling of food then please contact the Food Safety and Standards.
Email this pageLast modified by: Webmaster on 20/07/2006