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Weight and volume.
The weight or volume of the food must be shown on the label. Comparing the weight with the price of different brands enables consumers to make choices on value for money between brands. Some foods, such as bread, tea and butter, are sold only in standard amounts. For example, loaves of bread are sold as either 400 g or 800 g. The actual weight of the product does not need to be exact, but must be within a few grams of the weight stated on the label. The symbol e is used to show that the weight complies with EU requirement for weight under the average system, i.e. the average pack is at least the weight declared. If the product weighs less than 5g then the weight need not be stated.
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Ingredients.
Ingredients are listed in order of weight, according to the amounts that they were used to make the food, startin gith the largest Ingredient and ending with the smallest. The ingredient name must be listed in the language relevent to the country where the food is being sold. All componets, including water and food additives, must be included in the list if they have been added. If one of the listed components is itself a food prodct, such as mayonnaise or chocolate, the ingredents of the product are usually given in brackets.
If an ingredient in the description of the product os featured in a pack shot and othersituations e.g. “chicken and ham pie”, the quantity of the ingredient must be declared as a %. This is required as part of the EU labeling law, and is known as “Quantitative Ingredient Declaration” (QUID).
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How the food should be stored and the date when the food should be eaten by.
Information must be provided on how long a product is likely to last once it has been bought and/or opened, and under what conditions it needs to be kept to ensure its freshness. Following the storage instructions can prevent food from spoiling too quickly, can reduce the risk of food poisoning and ensure the food looks and tastes its best when eaten. Perishable foods that spoil quickly, such as cooked meat and fish, have a use by date. If kept for too long these foods can cause food poisoning even though they may not taste any different. Other foods have a best before date, after which foods may not be at their best, with regard to flavour, colour and texture, even though they will probably be safe to eat if they have been stored according to the instructions on the labels. Other guidance on the mode of storage has become universal. For example, a simple star system is used to indicate the type of fridge or freezing compartment that should be used.
Munufacturers information.
The name and address of the manufacturer, packer or seller must be stated on the label. This gives consumers the opportunity to contact the manufacturer if they have a complaint about the product or if they wish to know more about it.
Organic foods.
Every food product needs to gain certification from one of six UK certificationbodies. This certifictation can be found on a food label to identify it is genuinly organic. In addition, organic food prducts can be sold in two forms.
Category one- “ORGANIC” product must contain a minimum of 95% organic ingredients by weight. Can be labeled organic.
Category two- “MADE WITH ORGANIC INGREDIENTS”. Special emphasis. Products contain 70%-95% organic ingredients. Products can be labelled maed with organic ingredients.
Preparation instructions.
When necessary, instructions on how to prepare and cook the food must be given on the label. If the food has to be heated, the temperature of the oven and the cooking time should usually be stated. Instructions may also be given for heating in a microwave oven. These instructions should ensure the food tastes its best and that it will be thoroughly heated to a core temperature of 75° C, which minimises the risk of food poisoning.
Place of origin.
The label must display clearly where the food has come from if it would be misleading not to show it, e.g. a tub of Greek yogurt, which was made in France.
Lot or batch number.
The lot or batch number is a code that can identify batches of food in the event that they have to be recalled by the manufacturer, packers or producers. A date mark is sometimes used as a lot mark, or the letter ‘L’ may indicate a lot mark.
Nutrition information.
Manufacturers are not obliged by law to provide nutrition information, unless they make a nutrition claim. For those that do certain rules must be followed.
- The energy value of the food in kilojoules (kJ) and kilocalories (kcal) must be provided;
- The amount of protein, carbohydrate and fat in grams (g) must be provided;
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Optionally (unless a claim is made) the amounts of sugars, saturates, fibre and sodium can be provided, if the first four nutrients have been provided.
Further information can be added optionally (unless a claim is made) on the amounts of other nutrients such as polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats or cholesterol, and some specified vitamins and minerals (if they are present in significant amounts).
Information must always be given as values per 100g or per 100ml of food. Values for a portion or serving can be given as well, the number of which or size of which must be quantified on the label.
Colours and advertising.
Different colours on the packet and label can look more appealing to the consumer. For example, a packet of butter biscuits at the usual price might be packed in a white plastic wrapper, but the manufacturer might want to sell a product by saying that it is “luxury”. If so, the manufacturer might put it in a
Symbols and what they mean.
There are different ways of showing that a product is suitable for certain people e.g. vegetarians or for people that are allergic to gluten foods.
The two symbols above both say the same thing but only one of them is the correct character.
