Links to Other Pages

The purpose of this page is to provide access to official sources of information on the legal requirements for food labels.

Food Safety Act 1990

The Food Safety Act is available on the web - Food Safety Act 1990

UK Regulations

The 1996 Regulations are available on the Web from the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) site but, unfortunately, must be read in conjunction with all the amendments. (Note: early links are to web pages, more recent links are to pdf files)

• Food Labelling Regulations 1996 (SI 1996 No 1499)

  Main amendments:

• Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 (SI 1998 No 141) [Minor technical amendment only]
• Food Labelling (Amendment) Regulations 1998 (SI 1998 No 1398) [Introduction of QUID and certain other minor changes.]
• Drinking Milk Regulations 1998 (SI 1998 No 2424) [Minor amendments relating to certain definitions involving 'milk']
• Food Labelling (Amendment) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999 No 747) [Introduction of general requirements relating to labelling of GM foods or foods containing GM ingredients.]
• Miscellaneous Food Additive (Amendment) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999 No 1136) [Minor amendment relating to 'flour treatment agents']
• Food Labelling (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999 No 1483) [Introduction of certain specific additional requirements relating to QUID.]
• Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Water Regulations 1999 (SI 1999 No 1540) [Minor amendment to definition of 'natural mineral waters']
• Food Irradiation Provisions (England) Regulations 2000 (SI 2000 No 2254) [Introduction of additional labelling requirements for irradiated foods and ingredients]
• Fish Labelling (England) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003 No 461) [Removal of fish provision from the 1996 Regulations but establishing separate controls]
• Food Labelling (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003 No 474) [Introduction of generic name for 'meat']
• Food (Provisions relating to Labelling) (England) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003 No 2647) [Additional requirement for quinine and caffeine]
• Food Labelling (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004 No 1512) [Addition of energy factor for salatrims]
• Food Labelling (Amendment) (England) (No. 2) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004 No 2824) [Implementing rules on allergens and deleting the 25% rule]
• The Food with Added Phytosterols or Phytostanols (Labelling) (England) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004 No 3344) [Provides for additional statements when foods contains added substances]
• Food Labelling (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005 No 899) [Implementing labelling of certain foods containing glycyrrhizinic acid and its ammonium salt]
• The Food Labelling (Amendment) (England) (No. 2) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005 No 2057) [Providing exemptions to the allergen labelling requirements]
• Food Labelling (Amendment) (England) (No. 2) (Amendment) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005 No 2969) [Correcting the listing of exemptions to the allergen labelling requirements]
• Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006 No 14) [Minor amendment to the definition of meat when used as a generic name]
• Nutrition and Health Claims (England) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007 No 2080) [Minor amendment permitting nutrition and health claims which comply with the EU Regulation on nutrition and health claims]
• Food Labelling (Declaration of Allergens) (England) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007 No 3256) [Adds molluscs and lupins to the list of specified allergens]
• Food Labelling (Declaration of Allergens) (England) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008 No 1188) [Replaces the list of specificed allergens]
• Drinking Milk (England) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008 No 1317) [Updates references to EU legislation in milk definitions]

EU Regulations

EU Regulations are 'directly applicable' and are therefore part of the legal requirements. The following are relevant for general labelling purposes. Note: There are other EU Regulations which provide specific controls on certain products.:

• Regulation concerning novel food and novel food ingredients (EU Regulation 258/97)
• Regulation on genetically modified food and feed (EU Regulation 1829/2003)
• Regulation on the labelling of foods and food ingredients with added phytosterols, phytosterol esters, phytostanols and/or phytostanol esters (EU Regulation 608/2004)
• Regulation on nutrition and health claims made on foods (EU Regulation 1924/2006)

Official Guidance

From 1996 the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) made available certain guidance documents. Along with additional documents, they are now available on the pages of the Food Standards Agency and the following can be accessed and downloaded (note that some are in pdf format):

• General Guidance:
  • Legal requirements: Food Labelling Regulations Guidance Notes (January 1997)
  • Best Practice Guide: Clear Food Labelling Guidance Notes (June 2008)
• Date Marking:
  • Use by date Guidance Notes (February 2003)
• Marketing Terms:
  • Criteria for the use of the terms Fresh, Pure, Natural etc in food labelling (July 2008)
  • Guidance on the use of the terms ‘vegetarian' and ‘vegan' in food labelling (April 2006)
• Origin Labelling:
  • Origin Labelling Guidance Notes (October 2002)
• Allergens:
  • Legal requirements: Guidance notes and best practice on allergen and miscellaneous labelling provisions (July 2008)
  • 'May contain' gudiance: Guidance on allergen management and consumer information (July 2006)
• Claims (Health/Nutrition):
  • Guidance to compliance with European Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods (April 2008)
• Nutrition Labelling:
  • Guidance Notes on Nutritional Labelling (December 1999)
• Quantitative Ingredient Declarations (QUID):
  • The Food Labelling Regulations 1996: Guidance Notes on Quantitive Ingredient Declarations ('QUID') (March 2003)
• Lot Marking:
  • Lot Marking Regulations Guidance Notes (November 1996)
• GM Labelling:
  • Guidance Notes on Reg (EC) No 1829/2003, GM food and feed, and Reg (EC) No 1830/2003, traceability and labelling of GMOs (August 2007)

Additional guidance is available on various food labelling issues - see the Food Standards Agency page at: Labelling Guidance

Food Standards Agency

The Food Standards Agency (FSA), formed in April 2000, is now responsible for proposing legislation on food labelling and for participating in negotiations at a European Community level. Their web site is at the following address:

• http://www.food.gov.uk/