Food Labelling UK

Food labelling in the UK is governed by a comprehensive set of regulations designed to ensure consumers have accurate information about what they are eating. As a registered nutritionist, I regularly help both individuals understand food labels and businesses ensure their products meet legal requirements. Here is a complete guide to UK food labelling regulations.

What Must Appear on a Food Label in the UK

All pre-packed foods sold in the UK must display the following information:

• Product name – a clear, accurate description of the food.
• Ingredients list – listed in descending order of weight, with allergens emphasised (typically in bold).
• Nutrition declaration – energy (kJ and kcal), fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein, and salt per 100g or 100ml. Per portion information is optional but recommended.
• Net quantity – weight or volume of the product.
• Date marking – "use by" for safety-critical products, "best before" for quality.
• Storage conditions – how to store the product safely.
• Business name and address – of the manufacturer, packer, or seller.
• Country of origin – required for certain products including meat, olive oil, and honey.

Nutrition Labelling: The Traffic Light System

The UK uses a voluntary front-of-pack traffic light labelling system that shows at a glance whether a product is high (red), medium (amber), or low (green) in fat, saturated fat, sugars, and salt. While this system is not legally mandatory, most major UK retailers and many manufacturers use it, and it is endorsed by the Food Standards Agency.

The colour coding is based on reference intake values: red means the product contains more than 25% of an adult's daily reference intake for that nutrient per portion. Understanding these labels is one of the most practical tools for making healthier food choices. For more on this, read my guide on how to read a food label.

Allergen Labelling: Natasha's Law

Since October 2021, Natasha's Law (named after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse) requires all food businesses to provide full ingredient and allergen labelling on pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) food. This includes sandwiches, salads, and baked goods prepared and packed on the same premises where they are sold.

The 14 major allergens that must be declared are: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, nuts, peanuts, sesame, soya, and sulphur dioxide.

Calorie Labelling for Eating Out

Since April 2022, large food businesses in England with 250 or more employees must display calorie information on menus, including dine-in, takeaway, and delivery menus. This applies to restaurants, cafes, takeaways, and food delivery platforms.

HFSS and Labelling

Food labelling is closely tied to the HFSS regulations, as the nutrient profiling model uses the same nutritional data that appears on labels to classify products. Accurate labelling is therefore essential not only for consumer information but also for regulatory compliance with HFSS promotion restrictions. If your business needs a full HFSS compliance audit alongside labelling review, I offer a dedicated HFSS compliance and reformulation consultancy.

Common Labelling Mistakes Businesses Make

• Incomplete allergen declarations – failing to highlight all allergens in the ingredients list, or missing cross-contamination warnings.
• Incorrect nutrition calculations – using recipe-based estimates rather than laboratory analysis can lead to inaccurate declarations.
• Misleading health claims – terms like "natural", "clean", or "superfood" are not legally defined and can mislead consumers. Only approved nutrition and health claims can be used under EU-retained regulations.
• Missing PPDS labelling – food businesses that prepare and sell food on the same premises sometimes overlook Natasha's Law requirements.

Need Help with Food Labelling?

Whether you are a food business needing guidance on labelling compliance, nutrition profiling, or developing a nutrition strategy, or an individual wanting to better understand food labels, I can provide practical, evidence-based support.

Navigating Nutrition Claims and the 100g Benchmark

Beyond the standard nutrition table, many packaged foods carry nutrition claims such as "high fibre" or "low fat". In the UK, these terms are strictly regulated under retained EU law and recorded on the Great Britain Nutrition and Health Claims Register. To legally claim a product is a "source of fibre", it must contain at least 3g of fibre per 100g, while a "high fibre" claim requires at least 6g per 100g. Similarly, a product can only be labelled "low fat" if it contains no more than 3g of fat per 100g for solids (or 1.5g per 100ml for liquids). When auditing products for food business clients, I use the UK Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID) alongside accredited laboratory analysis to ensure every claim is fully substantiated before hit the shelves.

In my individual nutrition consultations, I teach clients to look past front-of-pack marketing claims and apply what I call the 100g Standardisation Protocol. Manufacturers frequently set arbitrary portion sizes – sometimes as small as 25g or 30g – which can make sugar, saturated fat, or salt levels look deceptively low. By always evaluating the per 100g column, you can make genuine, like-for-like comparisons between competing brands. When comparing everyday staples, I recommend looking for the following benchmarks per 100g of solid food:

• Low sugar: 5g or less (high is over 22.5g)
• Low saturated fat: 1.5g or less (high is over 5g)
• Low salt: 0.3g or less (high is over 1.5g)
• High fibre: 6g or more

When working with clients who are monitoring specific health markers, such as fasting blood glucose or blood lipid profiles, understanding ingredient order alongside these figures is vital. Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight, meaning if sugar or refined starches appear in the top three ingredients, the product is likely to cause rapid glucose spikes regardless of any positive "source of protein" marketing on the box. If you have been diagnosed with a clinical condition such as type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolaemia, or cardiovascular disease, I recommend discussing significant dietary changes with your GP to ensure your approach aligns safely with your medical care plan.

You might also find my post on what does hfss mean? a guide for shoppers and food brands helpful.

You might also find my post on hfss advertising ban: what uk food brands need to know helpful.

The moment you find yourself staring at a "low fat" label that conceals a flood of hidden sugars, or trying to ensure your brand's health claims pass regulatory checks before printing, general guidelines fall short. To make supermarket choices effortlessly clear or secure fully compliant, market-ready packaging, explore my services page or book a free discovery call via contact to achieve precise, reliable results.