Food Labeling Regulations

Understanding Food Labelling Regulations

Food labels are a paramount source of information about foods available in stores. They assist consumers in making healthier food choices, and are governed by firm regulations.
In the UK, the European Union’s Food Information for Consumers Regulation and the UK Food Standards Agency oversee the rules for food labelling.
All pre-packaged food available to consumers should have a label containing four essential pieces of information: a name, a list of ingredients, the weight or volume of the product, and a best before or use by date.
The ingredients list should be in descending order of weight at the time of manufacturing. Addition of allergens must be emphasised within the ingredients list.

Nutrient Declaration on Food Labels

Labels should include information about the food’s energy content and the amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt it contains. This is usually presented per 100g or 100ml, and can also be represented as a percentage of an adult’s reference intake.
Some products may also display front-of-pack nutrition labelling, which gives at-a-glance information about the product’s energy content and amounts of fat, saturates, sugars and salt.

Understanding Allergen Information

Allergens must be highlighted in the ingredients list on pre-packaged foods. These allergies include nuts, milk, fish, eggs, shellfish, soya, wheat, and others as enshrined by law.
Foods sold loose, for instance in bakeries, should also provide allergen information to the customer.

Reading Health Claims on Food Labels

Health claims are messages on food packaging stating that a food or a constituent of the food has particular beneficial nutritional properties.
These can indicate that a food is low in fat, high in fibre, or a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, for example.
However, such claims are carefully regulated and only approved health claims are allowed to be used on food packaging. All health claims must hold true for the average consumer under normal consumption patterns.

Misleading Food Labelling

It is illegal under food labelling regulations to provide any information on food packaging that could mislead consumers regarding the product’s nature, identity, qualities, composition, method of manufacture or production, or origin.
Such misleading practices can face heavy fines and serious legal consequences.

Lastly, consumers should note that despite rigorous food labelling regulations in place, the best way to maintain healthy eating habits is to make educated choices based on accurate and comprehensive understanding of food labels.