EU Regulations: Food Product Label Requirements
The general guidelines, requirements, and obligations governing food information, particularly food labelling, are established by Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011.
- It lays out the procedures and means to ensure that consumers have access to information about food while also considering the need for sufficient flexibility to respond to upcoming developments and new information requirements.
- According to EU regulations, the following information is mandatory on food packaging labels. This is specified for pre packaged
- Name of the food
- List of ingredients, including additives
- Net quantity of the food
- Date of minimum durability (best before or use by date)
- Any special storage conditions or conditions of use
- The owner of the food business’s name or business name and address
- Country of origin or place of provenance (if required by law or if the absence of the information might mislead the consumer)
- Instructions for use (if necessary)
- Nutritional information (energy value, fat (saturated and unsaturated fat), carbohydrates, sugars, protein, and salt)
In addition to these mandatory requirements, a food product label may include voluntary information, such as logos, quality marks, and health and nutrition claims, as long as they comply with EU regulations.
For non packaged food, information about potential allergens must be mentioned. Non-prepacked food consists of those intended for sale to mass caterers.
To conclude, the EU has laid regulations for information on food products to protect consumer health, which must be followed by the food industries [1].