Legal Requirements of Labelling as imposed by the Food Labelling Regulations of 1996

1. Legal Requirements of Labellingas imposed by the Food Labelling Regulations of 1996

2. Product name Product description Manufacturer’s name and address Weight or volume of product Allergy advise Country of origin List of ingredients Date marking Instructions for use Storage instructions There are 10 legal requirements for labelling food packaging

3. 1. Product name The consumer needs to be informed what the product is i.e. ‘tomato & cheese pasta bake Any pictures of the product are controlled by separate legislation and must not be misleading i.e. if the product is a strawberry flavoured yoghurt it must not have a picture of a strawberry on it

4. 2. Product Description It may not be clear from the product name what the product is so a clear product description must be given i.e. ‘pasta with a tomato sauce topped with mozzarella’

5. 3. Manufacturer’s name and address • The consumer needs to know this so that faulty products can be returned or letters of complaint can be made in writing • i.e. ‘Tesco Stores Ltd, Cheshunt, EN8 9SL, UK’

6. 4. Weight or Volume • This allows the consumer to compare products in terms of value for money. • The large e shows that it is an average amount so products may vary by a few grams • i.e. 350g

7. 5. Allergy advise • There are 14 ingredients that are currently recognised as causing allergic reactions in some people. This ingredients must be included on labelling so that consumers are informed • i.e. ‘contains milk, wheat, gluten. Recipe: no nuts. Ingredients: cannot guarantee nut free. Factory: no nuts’ • Other allergens include; molluscs, crustaceans, sesame seeds, celery, mustard, sulphur dioxide, fish, peanuts, egg, soya beans, cereals

8. 6. Country of origin • Informs the consumer of the place the food has come from • i.e. ‘produced in the U.K.’

9. 7. List of ingredients • All ingredients must be listed in descending order of weight, with the largest ingredient first • i.e. ‘cooked pasta (45%), tomato (34%), water, onion, mozzarella (2.5%)…’ etc • If the ingredient has been mentioned in the product description then a % should be shown

10. 8. Date marking • Informs the consumer of the products shelf-life (how long it can be safely kept) • ‘uses by date’ is for high-risk foods e.g. raw & cooked meat, perishable foods. After that date the food may not look or taste different but will be unsafe to eat. The date & month will be shown i.e. ’20 JUN’ • ‘best before date’ is for low-risk foods or foods which have along shelf life due to the way they have been packaged or processed e.g. biscuits, crisps, UHT milk. The date month & year will be shown • ‘display Until’ is not a legal requirement & is there for the retailers information.

11. 9. Instructions for use • Preparation, cooking and heating instructions informing the consumer as to how the product should be used • i.e. ‘oven 20 -25 mins 190 C….’ • ‘microwave…’ • ‘oven from frozen….’ • ‘microwave from frozen….’ etc

12. 10. Storage instructions • Informs the consumer how to store the food in order to prevent spoilage. • i.e. ‘freezing guidelines…etc • ‘keep refrigerated’

13. Product name Product description Manufacturer’s name and address Weight or volume of product Allergy advise Country of origin List of ingredients Date marking Instructions for use Storage instructions There are 10 legal requirements for labelling food packaging