1. Understanding and using food labels

2. What information is on a food label?
Food labels contain a lot of information. Most of the rules saying what companies legally have to put on a label are set out in a piece of European law - the Food Information to Consumers Regulation. There are other relevant laws on this, however. The Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation, for example, sets out what companies need to do so that they can make claims like ‘low fat’.
The information on a food label can be broken down into three types:
- Mandatory information – information that legally has to be provided, for example the name of the food and an ingredients list.
- Voluntary information – may be given provided it is in line with the conditions set out in the Food Information to Consumers Regulation for example certain elements of the nutrition declaration may be repeated on the front of pack.
- Company marketing information – some information is provided by the company as part of the marketing of the product, for example the colour of the packet or a picture on the front. This is decided by the company, but there is a legal obligation that information provided is not misleading and does not detract from any mandatory requirements.

3. What information must be on a food label?
High in fibre
Source of iron
The following information must be provided on a label:
- The name of the food. Some names are protected by law, for example ‘chocolate’ must meet certain compositional standards to be called chocolate.
- A list of ingredients (including allergens) (see slides 4 and 5)
- The weight or volume of the food (net quantity)
- A ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ date.
(Use by dates are used when it is a food safety issue to eat the food after this date, for example highly perishable products such as soft cheese.  It is a criminal offence to sell food past its use by date.
Best before dates indicate when the food will still be at its best quality.  Provided it has been stored correctly, it will be safe  to eat the food after its best before date but the quality of the product might not be the same, for example biscuits might be safe to eat but not be as crunchy.)
-The name and address of the food business operator (FBO) responsible for the food information
The alcoholic strength by volume (as a percentage) on drinks containing over 1.2% alcohol by volume
- Nutrition information (see slides 6-7)
The regulation sets out a minimum font size for all the mandatory information.
There are a few limited exceptions, for example single ingredient foods whose name is the same as the ingredient would not need to provide an ingredients list e.g. on a bag of sugar.

4. Focus on ingredients
The ingredients list tells you what is in the food.
The ingredients are given in order, with the largest ingredient first and the smallest last.
Any allergens in the food are highlighted in the ingredients list.
The amount of some key ingredients has to be given.
Most prepacked products will have an ingredients list with some exceptions, e.g.: fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese, butter, fermented milk or cream
products consisting of a single ingredient where the name of the food is the same as the name of the ingredient (e.g. peanuts or eggs)
Ingredients are listed by weight from the most to the least (based on the ingredient weights at the time of manufacture).
Quantitative Indication
The Quantitative Indication tells a customer the percentage of particular ingredients contained in a food product. For example a Quantitative Indication is provided  for the amount of dried fruit on this ingredients list. Quantitative Indication must be provided if:
- The ingredient (e.g. steak and kidney pie) or category of ingredients (e.g. vegetable pasty) appears in the name of the food.
- It is usually associated with the name of the food e.g. lamb in a shepherd’s pie
- It is emphasised on the labelling in words, pictures or graphics e.g. strawberry in a yogurt described as having ‘chunks of real strawberry’.

5. Focus on allergens Allergic reactions can be very serious.
14 foods and substances that commonly cause allergic reactions are highlighted – e.g. in bold - in the ingredients list, for example wheat, nuts and eggs.
If the allergen is not obvious it will be listed in brackets after the ingredient, for example fromage frais (milk).
There are 14 substances and products causing allergies or intolerances which must be highlighted in the ingredients list.  They are: cereals containing gluten (e.g. wheat, barley), crustaceans (e.g. prawns, crab), molluscs (e.g. clams, mussels), eggs, fish, peanuts, nuts, soybeans, milk, celery, mustard, sesame, lupin and sulphur dioxide.
Where the allergen is not obvious from the name of the ingredient, there will need to be a clear reference to the name of the allergen next to the ingredient e.g. ‘casein’ (milk) or ‘tofu’ (soya).
Food businesses can choose the method of emphasis that they would like to use, for example, bold, italics, highlighting, contrasting colours, CAPITALISING TEXT and underlining.
For foods that carry an ingredients list an allergy statement may also be used to direct consumers to the ingredients list for allergen information. Where foods are not required to carry an ingredients list, for example drinks with an alcohol content over 1.2%, a ‘Contains Statement’ can be used.
‘May contain’ labels are permitted. These are advisory labels and give information on the potential risk of cross contamination, for example if plain biscuits are made in the same factory as nut containing biscuits.

6. List of allergens Cereals containing gluten (e.g. wheat, barley)
Soybeans
Milk
Crustaceans (e.g. prawns, crab)
Celery
Molluscs (e.g. clams, mussels)
Mustard
Eggs
Sesame
Fish
Lupin
Peanuts
Sulphur dioxide
Nuts

7. Focus on nutrition
Nutrition information is given on most prepacked foods for energy, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt, and it is always in this order.
Nutrition information is usually given in a table on the back of the pack.
Sometimes there will be additional nutrition information, for example on fibre or vitamins and minerals.
The information is always per 100 grams but can also be per portion.
Sometimes Reference Intakes are also given – these will always be values for an average adult
Nutrition information is mandatory for seven nutrients and always has to be listed in a certain order:
energy (both in kilojoules and kilocalories) and the amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and salt in grams
The information has to be given per 100g/ml but can additionally be given:
- Per portion or per consumption unit (e.g. per slice)
- As % Reference Intakes (formerly known as Guideline Daily Amounts)
Information on the following nutrients can be provided additionally and on  a voluntary basis: mono and poly-unsaturates, polyols, starch and fibre and must be labelled if linked to nutrition and health claims and fortified foods.
Information on certain vitamins and minerals can be given if listed on an approved list and present in significant amounts.
The information on sugars is total sugars and includes sugars naturally present (such as in fruit or milk) as well as those added (such as table sugar). It is currently illegal to label the amount of added sugars in a product.
Reference Intakes
The Reference Intake values are set out in law as follows:
Energy 8400kJ / 2000kcal
Total fat 70g
Saturates 20g
Carbohydrate 260g
Sugars 90g
Protein 50g
Salt 6g
For simplicity there is only one set of Reference Intakes which are for an average adult. These are based on an average adult female and assume a 2000kcal intake and no special dietary requirements. This means the values are a guide only and should not be seen as individual advice.
It is usual to see a ‘%RI’ on a food label. This provides an indication of how much of the reference intake that food will provide for an adult, for example if a food contains 35g fat this would be 50% of the RI. It does not mean the food is made up of 50% fat.

8. Focus on nutrition (voluntary)
Labels often repeat key nutrition information on the front of pack. This usually: - is for a portion of the food - includes the % reference intake.
Labels can show energy on its own, or energy, fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt.
Some labels will also be coloured red, amber or green to help you know whether this is a high, medium or low amount.
The labels help you to easily check, compare and choose foods based on their nutrition.
The front of pack nutrition information is voluntary.  If a company chooses to provide it, then the legislation sets out how this should be done. The information must be given in the ‘principle field of vision’, which usually means the front of the pack.
The information must be energy only or energy, fat, saturates, sugars and salt. It is not allowed to give only some of this information (e.g. energy and fat only) or to include additional information (eg fibre)
Normally the information will be given per portion or unit and this will be shown immediately next to the label, e.g. half a pizza, 1 slice of bread.  If someone is keeping track of what they eat, they need to make sure they check the portion information.
It is a legal requirement that energy is given in both kJ and kcal.  This is because kJ is the standard international (SI) unit for energy, but the information in kcal is the unit that most consumers in Europe understand. Energy must also always be given per 100grams or millilitres as appropriate.  For this reason on the front of pack there will usually be four values for energy stated.
Some labels will have colour coding (red, amber, green) overlaid on top of the nutrition and RI information.  The colour coding is a voluntary government approach agreed across the UK, aimed at helping to make labels easier to understand.  The colours provide an at a glance indication of whether there is a high, medium or low amount of the nutrient per 100 grams.
In this example all nutrients are Amber so this product has medium (neither high nor low) amounts of fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt and therefore is a good choice most of the time, just try to include a few green ones too.
Sometimes products may have a similar colour code but still have different nutrition information and so it’s important that all of the information on the label is used when making a choice.

9. Focus on nutrition claims
A nutrition claim tells you about the amount of nutrient in that food.
The nutrient levels are defined by law, e.g. ‘high in fibre’ means the product must have at least 6 grams per 100 grams of fibre.
The exact level of the nutrient must be given in the nutrition table.
A nutrition claim is any claim which states, suggests or implies that a food or drink has particular beneficial nutritional properties.
Anything that implies a claim is legally treated as a claim even if that exact wording is not given in the legislation. For example ‘low ‘ is defined by law; ‘less than x%’, ‘only x grams’ would all have to meet the conditions for a low claim as someone might reasonably expect these words to mean ‘low’. Similarly a ‘reduced’ claim is defined in law; a ‘light’ cream cheese would have to meet the same conditions as a ‘reduced fat’ cream cheese as people would think ‘light’ was a claim.
There are different types of nutrition claim.
Absolute claims: - e.g. low in sugars, high in fibre, source of iron. These claims will have a defined gram per 100 gram figure that the product must meet. For example low in sugars is 5 grams or less per 100 grams. High in fibre is 6 grams per 100grams or more. A source of a vitamin or mineral must contain at least 7.5% for a beverage or 15% for a food product of the nutrient reference value for that micronutrient.
Comparative claims: These claims relate to when a product has been reformulated e.g. now with 30% less sugar, or when a product is compared with a ‘standard’ product, e.g. reduced fat mayonnaise. To make a reduced claim, the company must compare its product to what is normal in the marketplace so in the above example it would have to look at the fat levels of different mayonnaises sold, not just its own brand. Usually the reduction required to make a claim is at least 30%, although in the case of salt it is 25%.
Nutrition claims legislation apply to all communication to consumers and so include on pack messaging, websites and marketing materials

10. Focus on health claims
A health claim tells you the impact a nutrient has on your health.
If a health claim is general, like ‘good for you’, then somewhere on pack it must tell you why.
Health claims have to be assessed and approved by the European Food Safety Authority to make sure they are truthful and based on scientific evidence.
Only approved health claims can appear on pack or on advertising.
A health claim is a statement about the positive effect a product can have on health. Claims which appear on pack have been approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the EU risk assessment body for food safety. If a health claim is made there must also be a statement on pack about the importance of a varied and balanced diet and a health lifestyle
Approved health claims are very specific, for example: Beta-glucans contribute to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels; Calcium is needed for the maintenance of normal bones; Iron contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Only very small changes can be made to the official wording, and care must be taken that the meaning is not altered.
As part of the approvals process ‘conditions of use’ will also be given. These will include the amount of the nutrient that must be present.
As well as specific claims it is possible to use a general health claim – e.g. ‘good for you’. In order to use this a specific authorised health claim must also be provided. If the general claim relates to an aspect of health, then the specific authorised claim must also link to this, for example ‘good for your heart’ could be supported by ‘Beta-glucans contribute to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels’ but not by ‘Calcium is needed for the maintenance of normal bones’
Health claims legislation applies to all communication to consumers and so include on pack messaging, websites and marketing materials

11. One portion (40g) provides
Spotlight on sugars
Sugars in food come from different sources.
Some is naturally present like the sugars in milk, fruits and vegetables.
Some is added to the food like the sugars in cakes or cordial.
The sugars value in the nutrition table on the label tells you the TOTAL sugars from all of these different sources.
If you want to know what types of sugars are in the food then this will be in the ingredients list.
The way sugars are presented on a label is set out in legislation
The value in the nutrition table is for total sugars. It is currently illegal to provide information on ‘free’ or ‘added’ sugars. Similarly the adult reference intake (RI) for sugars (90g) defined in law is based on total sugars and so is made up of the sugars present naturally in fruits, vegetables and dairy as well as the sugars added to food.
The dietary recommendation for sugars is based on ‘free sugars’. These are the sugars added to foods by the manufacturer, cook, or consumer, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, and fruit juices. The UK dietary reference value for free sugars equates to about 30g for adults and less for children.
To make the most of the information on the label, it is also necessary to think about the source of the sugars. It is only ‘free sugars’ which government recommends we limit not those present in whole fruit, vegetable and dairy.
More information on the role of sugars in the diet can be found here.

12. Resources FDF labelling web pages
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FDF labelling web pages
Food Information to Consumers Regulation – the legislation that covers what must appear on a food label. Includes nutrition labelling and allergen labelling requirements
Government guidance on the Food Information to Consumers Regulation
Food Standards Agency leaflet: ‘Buying food when you have a food allergy or food intolerance’
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Understanding Food Labels – Food Standards Scotland's consumer guidance
Guidance on how to create a front of pack nutrition label, including how the colour code is defined
Nutrition and Health Claims Regulations – the legislation which sets out when a claim can be made
The list of authorised nutrition and health claims can be found within the EU register
Government guidance on Nutrition and Health Claims Regulations
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