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Internet Web Site : www.northern.tradingstandards.org.uk |
| E F F I C I E N T | |
| E F F E C T I V E | |
| E C O N O M I C | |
| "Serving over 5 million people" | |
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Internet Web Site : www.northern.tradingstandards.org.uk |
| E F F I C I E N T | |
| E F F E C T I V E | |
| E C O N O M I C | |
| "Serving over 5 million people" | |
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LABELLING AND MARKING OF PRE-PACKED FOOD
This leaflet has been prepared for the guidance of traders by the Northern Counties Chief Trading Standards Officers Group. It is not an authoritative document on the law and is only intended for guidance.
FOOD TO WHICH THIS LEAFLET APPLIES
This leaflet applies to the labelling and marking of pre-packed food, i.e. which is ready for delivery to the ultimate consumer or to a catering establishment. It does not apply to food which is packed on the premises from which it is sold.
WHAT ARE THE GENERAL MARKING REQUIREMENTS?
Pre-packed food must be labelled with the following information:
The name of the food being;
the name used must be sufficiently precise to inform a purchaser of the true nature of the food and to enable the food to be distinguished from products with which it may be confused, e.g. restructured/reformed meats should be so named;
OR
a name required to be used by law, e.g. fish names, certain names of meat products and spreadable fish products which have to satisfy compositional requirements such as beefburgers, meat pies, sausages etc.;
OR
if there is no name required by law a customary name shall be used, i.e. a name which is customary in the area where the food is sold.
A trade mark, brand name or fancy name cannot be substituted for the name of the food.
If the food has been subjected to any process or treatment then the name of the food must include or be accompanied by an indication of such process or treatment if the omission of that information could mislead a purchaser.
A list of ingredients
foods consisting of two or more ingredients including water (unless it is less than 5% of the finished product) and additives, (see iv) must be listed in descending order of weight determined at the time of their use in the preparation of the food.
the list of ingredients must be headed by the word "Ingredients".
the name used for an ingredient must be a name that would be used if it was sold as a food.
additives, except flavouring and modified starch, must be listed by their category name and the serial (E) number or exact name, e.g. Colour (E102) or colour (tartrazine). Flavouring and modified starch may be listed simply by these category names.
some foods contain compound ingredients (more than one component), e.g. bread, chicken roll, sausage, mayonnaise etc.
Constituents of a compound ingredient are listed in one of two ways:
the compound ingredient constitutes less than 25% of the finished product,
OR
the name used for the compound is a generic name which is permitted by the regulations, e.g. cheese. In which case only the name of the compound ingredient is required.
If a compound ingredient contains an additive which performs a specific function in the food, e.g. colour or preservative the presence of that additive will need to be shown even if the compound ingredient is less than 25%.
e.g. tomato ketchup (contains colour E102).
Constituents of a compound ingredient are listed in one of two ways;
by stating the constituents individually in the appropriate places in the list of ingredients, or
by stating the name of the compound ingredient in the appropriate place in the list of ingredients followed in brackets by a list of its constituents e.g. mayonnaise (pasteurised egg, corn oil, salt, pepper).
if the ingredient has been subjected to a significant treatment e.g. dried, smoked, irradiated, this must be stated.
The appropriate durability indication.
Most pre-packed food must be marked with an appropriate durability indication either a "best before" or "use by" date.
USE BY: Food which, from the microbiological point of view is highly perishable and in consequence likely after a short period to constitute an immediate danger to human health must be marked "use by". The use by date shall be expressed as either a day and a month or a day, month and a year. in addition this indication must have associated with it the appropriate storage conditions.
BEST BEFORE: Most other food should be marked "best before" followed by the date up to and including which the food can retain its specific properties and any storage conditions which need to be observed if the food is to retain its specific properties until that date.
The date must be expressed in terms of a day, month and year (in that order), except that where a food has a shelf life of:
Less than 3 months, it may be expressed as a day and month only;
3 to 18 months, it may be expressed as "best before end" followed by a month and a year only;
more than 18 months, it may be expressed as "best before end" followed by a month and a year only, or year only.
Any Special Storage Conditions or Condition of Use.
Special storage conditions or conditions of use should be given if the consumer needs to observe certain practices once the packaging of the food has been opened;
e.g. Once opened keep refrigerated and consume with 3 days.
Shake well before use.
The Name or Business Name and Address or Registered Address of
The manufacturer or packer or
A seller established within the EC
Place of Origin or Provenance
If a purchaser could be misled as to the true origin or provenance of the food then such information must be given.
Instructions for Use.
Instructions for use should be marked if it would be difficult to make appropriate use of the food in the absence of such instructions.
"QUID" – Indication of Quantities of Certain Ingredients or Categories of Ingredients.
The quantity of an ingredient or category of ingredients used in the preparation of a food, shall be indicated where;
that ingredient or category of ingredients appears in the name of the food or is usually associated with that name by the consumer;
that ingredient or category of ingredients is emphasised on the labelling in words, pictures or graphics; or
that ingredient or category of ingredients is essential to characterise a food and to distinguish it from products with which it could be confused because of its name or appearance.
However, there are certain exemptions to (i.) to (iii.) above, for example where an ingredient is used in small quantities as a flavouring.
Normally the indication must be expressed as a percentage determined as at the time of the use of the ingredient or category of ingredients in the preparation of the food.
The percentage indication must appear either in or next to the name of the food, or in the list of ingredients.
This is only a brief resume of the "QUID" requirements. If you require further information on QUID declarations and/or the exemptions, please contact you local trading standards department.
Special Claims
Any claim made in relation to food must be justified (e.g. "Low Calorie", "Diet", Rich in Vitamins", "High Protein", "Low Cholesterol") the food must also comply with prescribed criteria for the composition and labelling. If you think these requirements may apply to your product, please seek further advice from your local trading standards department.
Nutrition Information
This is only required to be given if a nutrition claim is made e.g. "Low Fat", "High Fibre" etc. However if nutrition information is labelled voluntarily then it must comply with the Regulations.
Nuts
It is possible for a product to contain nuts or nut products but this may not be obvious from the list of ingredients, due to them being present in a compound ingredient or in an ingredient for which a generic name is used e.g. vegetable oil. If this is the case it is recommended that the presence of nuts is made clear in the labelling, e.g. "Contains nut products". (This is not a legal requirement but it is recommended as good practice in the interests of the safety of consumers who may be allergic to nuts).
Foods Containing Sweeteners, Added Sugar and Sweeteners, Aspartame or Polyols.
A food containing a sweetener or sweeteners authorised by the Sweeteners in Food Regulations must be marked or labelled "with sweeteners".
A food containing both an added sugar(s) and a sweetener(s) must be marked or labelled "with sugar(s) and sweetener(s)".
A food containing aspartame must be marked or labelled "contains a source of phenylalamine".
A food containing more than 10% added polyols must be marked or labelled "excessive consumption may produce laxative effects".
Foods Packed in a Protective Atmosphere.
If a food’s shelf life has been extended by the use of a packaging gas then a declaration in the form "packaged in a protective atmosphere" must be given.
The Food (Lot Marking) Regulations 1996.
The purpose of these regulations is to identify the batch from which a particular food product originates. The lot mark must appear on the label or packaging. The form of the lot mark should be determined by yourselves but must be preceded by the letter "L" followed by figures and/or letters which indicate from which batch an individual package originates.
Note: if the "best before" or "use by" indication consist of at least the uncoded indication of the day and month in that order and can identify the batch from which the package originates, you are exempt from lot marking.
HOW SHOULD PRE-PACKED FOOD BE MARKED OR LABELLED?
The required marking and labelling must be easy to understand in a conspicuous place, clearly legible, indelible and in no way hidden obscured or interrupted by anything else. Any pictorial representation of food on a label must accurately reflect the contents.
QUANTITY MARKING
Where a food is required by the Weights and Measures Act 1985 to be marked or labelled with the net quantity, the indication must appear in the labelling of food in the same field of vision as the "name" of the food and the indication of minimum durability where appropriate.
There are minimum requirements for the size of characters used to mark the quantity. These are:
Not exceeding 50g/5cl 2mm
Exceeding 50g/5cl but not exceeding 200g/200cl 3mm
Exceeding 200g/200cl but not exceeding 1kg/1 litre 4mm
Exceeding 1kg/1 litre 6mm
These minimum sizes do not however apply to catchweight goods, i.e. those pre-packed in random weights.
Only certain abbreviations are permitted. The common ones are:
Kilogram kg
Gramme g or gram
Millilitre ml
Centilitre cl
Litre l or L
October 2000
