Labelling food products

All prepacked food requires a food label that displays certain mandatory information.

What is prepacked food?

Food packed by one business and supplied to another business is considered prepacked. Typically, this is any food put into packaging before the consumer selects or orders it. For example, a bar of chocolate, a sealed packed of crisps, a jar of sauce or a can of soup.

To be considered prepacked, all the following must apply:

• the packaging fully or partly encloses the food
• the food cannot be altered without opening or changing the packaging
• the product is ready for sale to the final customer or mass caterer

Labelling for prepacked food which is not produced on site will usually be produced by the food manufacturer.

Labelling of prepacked food

The following information must appear by law on food labels and packaging:

• name of the food
• list of ingredients
• allergen information - see food allergen labelling
• quantitative declaration of ingredients (QUID)
• net quantity of food - ie the weight or volume of the food
• date labelling - either a 'best before' or 'use by' date
• storage conditions and/or conditions of use
• name and address of manufacturer (or the importer in some cases)
• country of origin or place of provenance (if required)
• preparation instructions
• nutrition declaration - see nutrition labelling
• the alcoholic strength by volume on drinks containing over 1.2% alcohol by volume

Food sold in Northern Ireland must include the name and address of the Northern Ireland or EU business responsible for the information on the food. If the business is not in NI or the EU, you must include the name and address of the importer.

There are additional labelling requirements for certain food and drink products if your product contains:

• sweeteners or sugars
• aspartame and colourings
• liquorice
• caffeine
• polyols

Read more about labelling of prepacked food and check if there are other food labelling standards you must follow.

Labelling of prepacked for direct sale food

Food that is packaged at the same place it is offered or sold to consumers, and is in this packaging before it is ordered or selected, is considered prepacked for direct sale (PPDS).

PPDS food can include:

• sandwiches/salads packaged and provided by the food business from the same premises
• fast food wrapped or packaged before a customer selects them
• supermarket products produced and packaged in store

This can be food that customers select themselves or pre-wrapped products kept behind a counter. It can also include some food sold at mobile or temporary outlets.

You can use the Food Standards Agency's allergen and ingredients food labelling tool to check if your business sells PPDS food.

All PPSD food needs to have a label showing the name of the food and the ingredients list with the 14 allergens required to be declared by law emphasised within it.

Read more about food labelling requirements for the prepacked for direct sale food.

Non-prepacked food

Any food that is not in packaging or is packaged after being ordered by the consumer is considered non-prepacked food. As such, it does not require a label with name, ingredients and allergens emphasised. Allergen information must still be provided but this can be done through other means, including orally.