Food labelling and composition

Food labels are there to give us information on what we are eating - this gives us, as the consumers, more of a choice. There are regulations that prevent manufacturers from putting misleading information on food labels.

What is required on packaging?
Name of the Food                                    
List of Ingredients
Storage Instructions 
Best Before/Use By dates
Name and Address
Nutritional information
Quantity
Quantitative Ingredients Declarations (QUID)

The name of the food
This must take one of three forms:
1.  Name of a product required by law, eg. milk chocolate
2.  The customary name of a product, eg. doughnut
3.  Name or short description that suitably describes the product and ensures that consumers do not to confuse it with other similar products.
Certain 'common' names for foods cannot be used if the percentage composition of the product does not meet the requirements. For example, a burger cannot be labelled 'Beef Burger' if the beef content is less than 65% lean beef.

The name has to describe what type of food it is, and what processes it has undergone, if any, eg. smoked salmon.

List of ingredients
If the product contains more than two individual ingredients, a full list of all the ingredients must be given. These must be given in descending weight order as at the time of preparation. Most 'additives' must be stated in order of function and serial or specific name e.g. preservative: E220 or preservative sulphur dioxide.

Flavouring may simply be labelled as 'flavours' omitting specific names. Modified starch may simply be referred to as 'Modified Starch'

Storage instructions
On most pre-packed, perishable goods, there will be a set of storage instructions which will guide the consumer on how to keep the product as fresh as possible and for as long as possible. These can be important for maintaining food safety eg. 'refrigerate after opening'

Best before/use by dates

Use by dates
'Use By' labels are placed on fresh produce that can deteriorate and even become unsafe to eat over short time periods eg. fish, fresh meat, meat products and milk.
Advice for consumers on use by dates:
Even if the food or drink looks and smells fine, don't use it
The 'Use By' date can only be a valid guide if you follow the storage instructions on the  packaging. For example, milk will go off a lot quicker if you do not keep it refrigerated.
The term 'Use By' does not necessarily mean 'Eat By', if the food is suitable, it's life can often be extended by freezing it.
Make sure you always follow relevant cooking/preparing/storage instructions as stated on the packaging.
Beware, some products may have a specific 'Use By' date but if it is opened, must be consumed within a certain time, particularly those products which are stored in a protective atmosphere, for example packs of ham. These must be used within 3 days of opening. Regardless of opening or not, the use by date on the package must never be exceeded as this is the last date determined for the product to be safely consumed.

Best before dates
'Best Before' dates tend to appear more on more stable or non-perishable goods, such as canned, frozen and dried produce.

Advice for consumers on best before dates:
'Best Before' dates refer more to the quality rather than the safety of the product and indicate a date up until which a food will stay at a reasonable eating quality.
The 'Best Before' date can only be a valid guide if you follow the storage instructions on the packaging. To enjoy the food at its best be sure to adhere to these instructions.

Other dates
Other dates that may be marked next to the 'Use By' or 'Best Before' dates may be the 'Display until' or "Sell By" dates which are merely there to help shops with stock control and are of no relevance to product safety or quality.

Name and address
The product must be labelled with the name and address of the manufacturer, packer, importer or seller of the product. This can usually be used if the consumer wishes to make a comment about the product, directly to the company.

Origin
A product must always state its country of origin if its absence could be misleading to a consumer, eg. an Italian pizza made in the UK.

Nutritional information
A manufacturer is only required to provide nutritional Information if a consumer asks for it or if the product makes a claim such as 'low fat' or 'high in fibre'. However, if a company voluntarily decides to provide this information then it must comply with certain regulations.

The following components are featured on Nutritional Information:

Energy
Energy is measured in calories (kcal) or joules (kj).

Protein
Foods such as meat, fish and soy products are full of protein. It is important for growth and body repair.
Carbohydrate
Carbohydrates can be derived from food such as potatoes, bread, rice and pasta. They predominantly made up of sugars and starch. Nutritional information labels will tell you how much of the carbohydrates are sugars (the rest will be starch.)

Starch
Most of our energy comes from starch, rather than from fats and sugars.

Sugars
Sugars refer to both natural sugars, eg. fructose in fruit, and added, more refined sugars eg. sucrose and glucose, which are more harmful, especially to teeth.

Saturated fat
This is the most harmful type of fats and they can raise cholesterol levels significantly, which in turn can lead to heart disease. Saturated fats are common in foods such as cheese, sausages, pies and butter.

Mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fat
Mono-unsaturates do not effect cholesterol, and polyunsaturates reduce cholesterol levels. Although mono-unsaturates (found in olive and rapeseed oil) and poly-unsaturates (found in sunflower and soya oil) are a healthier option, they are still fats and can lead to weight gain.

Dietary fibre
Fibre can be found in foods such as wholemeal bread, baked beans, fruit and vegetables and can help reduce constipation, piles and even reduce the risk of bowel cancer.

Sodium
Most of the sodium found in food comes from salt and can cause high blood pressure so should be avoided.

Recommended average daily energy allowances

Age	Children	Men	Women
1 to 3 years	102kcal/kg (1300 kcal/day)	-	-
4 to 6 years	90kcal/kg (1800 kcal/day)	-	-
7 to 10 years	70kcal/kg (2000 kcal/day)	-	-
11 to 14 years	-	55 kcal/kg (2500 kcal/day)	47 kcal/kg (2200 kcal/day)
15 to 18 years	-	45 kcal/kg (3000 kcal/day)	40 kcal/kg (2200 kcal/day)
19 to 24 years	-	40 kcal/kg (2900 kcal/day)	38 kcal/kg (2200 kcal/day)
25 to 50 years	-	37 kcal/kg (2900 kcal/day)	36 kcal/kg (2200 kcal/day)
over 50 years	-	30 kcal/kg (2300 kcal/day)	30 kcal/kg (1900 kcal/day)

Quantity
Most pre-packed foodstuffs must be marked with an indication of the net quantity of food contained in the package, i.e. the weight of the food not including any packaging materials. If there is a requirement to mark a quantity on a foodstuff it must appear in the same field of vision as the name of the food and the durability indication (best before date or use by date). There are a number of foodstuffs than can only be sold in certain quantities which are prescribed by law. An example of such a prescribed quantity relates to pre-packed bread which can only be sold in multiples of 400 grams. Prescribed quantities differ for different types of food and can apply to both pre-packed and loose foodstuffs. If you require any advice in relation to quantity declarations or prescribed quantities please contact Trading Standards on 01582 54 71 30.

Quantitative ingredients declaration (Quid) 
QUID declarations are made as a percentage of the ingredient or of the entire product when the ingredient or category of ingredient is:
highlighted by labelling or picture eg. 'extra cheese'
mentioned in the name of the product eg. 'Cheese and onion pasty'
needed to differentiate the product from similar products on the market
normally connected with the name by the consumer eg. fruit in a summer pudding

Special claims
Labels such as "Low Calorie", "Diet", "High in Polyunsaturates", "Rich in Vitamins", must be clearly justified on the nutrition information. There are also specific regulations on claims, which must be adhered to. It is an offence to make a health/medicinal claim unless it is supported by the Medicines Control Agency and an appropriate licence is obtained.

When the item is sold to the ultimate consumer, the packaging must be completely sealed.

Labelling of alcoholic drinks
Alcoholic drinks, which contain more that 1.2% alcohol must be labelled as such. In fact, the specific alcohol content must be stated on the packaging in the form of "Alcohol X%" or "Alc X%". This must also be given to drinks sold in pubs and restaurants.

Labelling of genetically modified foods
Genetic modification is where genes in an organism are allowed to carry information and instructions for a particular feature using biotechnology.
This technology has been used in a number of different ways to aid food manufactures and suppliers. Some of these features include an extended storage life or nutritional value of food.
The Food Standards Agency recognises that not everyone will want to buy GM foods, however carefully they have been assessed for safety. All foods that contain GM food must be labelled accordingly.
For more information on the sales, testing and safety of GM foods, visit the Food Standards Agency  website
Labelling of organic foods 
All organic produce must ONLY contain food, which has been farmed organically. This means not using fertilisers or pesticides, which have not been approved to be organic. It also means that the land, on which the food has been grown, has been farmed organically during the conversion period (normally two years). Only then can a product be sold as organic.
Manufacturers of organic food are permitted to use some approved non-organic products, so long as 95% of the ingredients are, in fact organic.
If the organic ingredients make up only 70-95% of a particular product, it may NOT be labelled an organic product. However, the organic ingredients may be specified on the packaging.
Labels on food sold, as 'organic' must indicate the organic certification body that the processor or packer is registered with. The labels must include a code number, and the name or trademark of the certification body may also be shown.
It is not always possible to make products entirely from organic ingredients, since not all ingredients are available in organic form.

Food allergies
The government has now made it a compulsory feature of all food packaging, including that of alcoholic drinks, to ensure that all consumers are provided with a comprehensive list of ingredients. This allows the consumer to check for any of the following food components that they want to avoid, in particular, in the event of specific allergies:
  Cereals containing gluten
  Crustaceans
  Eggs
  Fish
  Peanuts
  Soybeans
  Milk and dairy products (including lactose)
  Nuts and nut products
  Sesame seeds
  Sulphite at concentration of at least 10mg/kg and products thereof
Components of compounds that make up less that 25% of a particular final product must also be listed.
However, the European Commission suggests that in the following cases, full lists of ingredients need not be listed:
Compound ingredients making up less than 5% of the finished product
Sauces and Mustards making up less than 5% of the finished product
Herbs and Spices in mixtures of Herbs and Spices which make up less than 2% of the finished product

Food standards inspections
The Food control group carries out planned inspections for food standards, i.e. the legal requirements covering

• Food quality
• Food composition
• Food labelling
• Food presentation
• Advertising of food
• Materials or articles in contact with food
• Our inspections under the Food Safety Act 1990 are undertaken in line with an official code of practice on food standards inspections and other national guidance.

Following an inspection a score is given to reflect the risks identified, the higher the score the greater the inspection frequency, i.e.

• High risk premises - Inspected at least annually
• Medium risk premises - Inspected at least every 2 years
• Low risk premises - Inspected at least every 5 years
  Further information on our inspection programme can be found in our Food Law Enforcement Service Plan available to download below.

Action taken as a result of our inspections is in accordance with our Enforcement Policy.
Food standards leaflets are available on request.

Opening times:
Monday to Friday
8.45am to 5.15pm

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