How to make a food label: mandatory information and an example

Anyone selling prepacked food in the European Union must show a precise set of information on the label. The starting point is Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers. This article goes through each item and ends with a complete example.

The mandatory information

Article 9 of the regulation lists the mandatory particulars:

1. the name of the food;
2. the list of ingredients;
3. the allergens of Annex II, emphasised in the list;
4. the quantity of certain ingredients (QUID), where required;
5. the net quantity;
6. the date of minimum durability or the "use by" date;
7. any special storage conditions or conditions of use;
8. the name and address of the responsible food business operator;
9. the country of origin or place of provenance, where required;
10. instructions for use, where it would be difficult to use the food without them;
11. the actual alcoholic strength for beverages with more than 1.2% alcohol by volume;
12. the nutrition declaration.

The name, the net quantity and the alcoholic strength must appear in the same field of vision (Article 13). The production lot must also be shown (Directive 2011/91/EU).

List of ingredients

Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight, as weighed at the time of use in the recipe (Article 18). The list starts with the word "Ingredients".

Added water and volatile ingredients follow their own rules: water is counted on the weight of the finished product and may be left out if it does not exceed 5%. Compound ingredients, such as chocolate used in a biscuit, can be shown with their own ingredients in brackets.

Allergens

The 14 allergens of Annex II (cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, lupin, molluscs) must be emphasised in the list of ingredients with a typeset that sets them apart from the rest, for example bold (Article 21). The details are in allergens on food labels.

"May contain traces of" for accidental contamination is voluntary information: it must not mislead (Article 36) and should follow a risk assessment, not general caution.

QUID: the percentage of ingredients

The quantity of an ingredient is shown as a percentage when the ingredient appears in the name of the food ("breadsticks with extra virgin olive oil"), is emphasised on the label in words or pictures, or is essential to characterise the food (Article 22 and Annex VIII). The percentage goes next to the ingredient, in the list or in the name.

Nutrition declaration

The mandatory table shows, per 100 g or 100 ml: energy, fat, of which saturates, carbohydrate, of which sugars, protein and salt (Article 30). Energy is calculated with the conversion factors of Annex XIV, in kJ and kcal. Values are rounded following the European Commission guidance: rounding table and examples in nutrition declaration.

Values can come from a laboratory analysis or from a calculation based on the known average values of the ingredients (Article 31(4)). For many small producers, calculating from the recipe is the simplest way: you can try it with the free nutrition calculator.

Some foods are exempt from the table (Annex V). These include foods supplied directly by the manufacturer in small quantities to the final consumer or to local retail establishments supplying the final consumer directly. The regulation does not define "small quantities": before relying on the exemption, ask a consultant or the enforcement authority.

Durability and storage

"Best before" indicates the date of minimum durability; "use by" is the date for foods that are highly perishable from a microbiological point of view (Annex X). If the food needs special conditions, such as "keep refrigerated after opening", they must be written on the label.

A complete example

Here is the label of a bakery product with all the parts seen above.

Breadsticks with extra virgin olive oil and rosemary

Ingredients: type 00 wheat flour, extra virgin olive oil (9.5%), water, brewer's yeast, salt, rosemary (1.4%).

Net weight: 250 g. Best before: see side of pack. Lot: see side of pack.

Produced by: Panificio Aurora srl, Via Immaginaria 1, 00000 Borgo Esempio, Italy

Note that:

• wheat is in bold because it is a cereal containing gluten;
• oil and rosemary have a percentage because they appear in the name;
• water comes third even though it weighs more than the oil in the recipe, because it evaporates during baking and is counted on the finished product;
• the table uses rounded values, not the calculated ones.

How to prepare the label without mistakes

Order by weight, evaporated water, QUID percentages and rounding are easy to get wrong by hand, especially when the recipe changes. Etichettalo works them out from the recipe: enter the ingredients with their grams and get the ingredient list, emphasised allergens, QUID and nutrition table. The manual explains each step.