188体育

To sell food and drink products, the label must be:

• clear and easy to read
• permanent
• easy to understand
• easily visible
• not misleading

You must show certain basic information and list the ingredients. You might also have to show certain warnings.

There are special .

Products sold loose or in catering businesses

If you run a catering business, you sell food loose or package it for sale in your shop, you only need to show:

• the name of the food
• if any of the ingredients have been irradiated, or have come from genetically modified sources
• certain warnings
• any food additive you have added
• allergen information

You must show more information if you sell meat products loose.

Packaging

If you package food yourself, you must use packaging that鈥檚 suitable for food use. Suitable packaging is marked 鈥榝or food contact鈥� or has a symbol on it that looks like a wine glass and a fork.

There are special rules for using plastics, ceramics or cellophane for packaging. You must have written evidence that you鈥檝e kept to them.

This is known as a 鈥榙eclaration of compliance鈥� and you can get it from your packaging supplier. You also have to get one if you buy food that鈥檚 already packaged for sale in any of those materials.

Food assurance schemes

You could also join voluntary food assurance schemes such as or . These schemes let customers know food has been produced to certain standards, for example on food safety or animal welfare.

You must show the following information:

• the name of the food
• a 鈥榖est before鈥� or 鈥榰se by鈥� date
• any necessary warnings
• net quantity information
• a list of ingredients (if there is more than 1)
• the country or place of origin, if required
• the lot number or use-by date
• any special storage conditions
• instructions for use or cooking, if necessary

If you鈥檙e selling food in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland), you must also include the name and address of the UK or EU business responsible for the information on the food. If the business is not in the UK or EU, you must include the name and address of the importer.

If you鈥檙e selling food in Northern Ireland, you must include the name and address of the Northern Irish or EU business responsible for the information on the food. If the business is not in Northern Ireland or the EU, you must include the name and address of the importer.

Quantity information

You must put the net quantity in grams, kilograms, millilitres or litres on the label of:

• packaged food over 5g or 5ml
• packaged herbs and spices

Solid foods packed in a liquid (or an ice glaze) must show the drained net weight.

The net quantity must be close enough to the name of the food that you can see all this information at the same time. This also applies to the alcoholic strength for alcoholic drinks.

You do not have to show the weight or volume on foods sold by number, for example 2 bread rolls, provided that you can clearly see the number of items inside the packaging.

Read more guidance on quantity labelling.

Information you may have to show

You must also show these if they apply to your product:

• a warning for drinks with an alcohol content above 1.2%
• a warning if the product contains GM ingredients, unless their presence is accidental and 0.9% or less
• a warning if the product has been irradiated
• the words 鈥榩ackaged in a protective atmosphere鈥� if the food is packaged using a packaging gas

Country or place of origin

You must show the country or place of origin for:

• beef, veal, lamb, mutton, pork, goat and poultry
• fish and shellfish
• honey
• olive oil
• wine
• fruit and vegetables

You can label certain food from EU countries and Northern Ireland as 鈥榦rigin EU鈥�. Food from and sold in Great Britain can be labelled as 鈥榦rigin EU鈥� until 31 December 2023. Check the rules for when to label meat, fish and shellfish with their country of origin.

You must also show the country of origin if customers might be misled without this information, for example if the label for a pizza shows the leaning tower of Pisa but the pizza is made in the UK.

If the primary ingredient in the food comes from somewhere different from where the product says it was made, the label must show this. For example, a pork pie labelled 鈥楤ritish鈥� that鈥檚 produced in the UK with pork from Denmark, must state 鈥榳ith pork from Denmark鈥� or 鈥榤ade with pork from outside the UK鈥�.

Special rules for some products

There are special rules about what you have to show on the label if you supply any of the following:

• bottled water
• bread and flour
• cocoa and chocolate products
• fats and oils
• fish
• fruit juices and nectars
• honey
• jams and preserves
• meat and meat products
• milk and milk products
• soluble coffee
• sugar

If your food or drink product has 2 or more ingredients (including any additives), you must list them all. Ingredients must be listed in order of weight, with the main ingredient first.

Ingredient quantities

You also have to show the percentage of an ingredient if it is:

• highlighted by the labelling or a picture on a package, for example 鈥榚xtra cheese鈥�
• mentioned in the name of the product, for example 鈥榗heese and onion pasty鈥�
• normally connected with the name by the consumer, for example fruit in a summer pudding

Allergens

You must highlight allergens on the label using a different font, style or background colour. You must also list them in the ingredients.

The allergens you need to highlight and list are:

• celery
• cereals containing gluten - including wheat, rye, barley and oats
• crustaceans - including prawns, crab and lobster
• eggs
• fish
• lupin
• milk
• molluscs - including squid, mussels, cockles, whelks and snails
• mustard
• nuts
• peanuts
• sesame seeds
• soya beans
• sulphur dioxide or sulphites at levels above 10mg per kilogram or per litre

You must show an appropriate warning on the label if your food contains certain ingredients.

Nutrition labelling

You must follow nutrition labelling information rules for all pre-packed products unless both of the following apply:

• you鈥檙e a small business with under 10 employees and a turnover of less than 拢1.4 million
• you supply either direct to consumers or to local retailers - local means within your county, your neighbouring county, or up to 30 miles from your county boundary

Nutrition and health claims

You have to follow certain rules if you want to make a nutrition claim (for example, low fat) or a health claim (for example, calcium helps maintain normal bones).

Food supplements, fortified foods and foods for specific nutritional uses

You must follow certain rules if you are manufacturing, selling or importing:

• a food supplement
• a food fortified with vitamins and minerals

There are also specific rules for 鈥榩arnuts foods鈥�, for example:

• formula milk for infants and young children
• baby food
• meal and total diet replacement for weight control
• medical foods

If you鈥檙e a retailer, you can label products 鈥榦rganic鈥� as long as:

• at least 95% of the farm-grown ingredients are organic
• you sell direct to customers in your shop

Organic certification

You must be certified by one of the organic control bodies if you produce or prepare organic food and you want to sell or label it as organic.

You can decide which body to register with based on your location and needs.

Once registered you鈥檒l have to:

• follow a strict set of guidelines laid down by national and international law
• keep thorough and accurate records of production processes
• allow annual and random inspections

You鈥檒l also have to follow the rules for labelling organic products.

You can check how food labelling rules are enforced.