Food labelling

Items that must go on food labels by law include:

• Name of product - Tells consumer what they are buying and mustn't give a false impression e.g. Strawberry Yoghurt must contain strawberries where as "flavoured" yoghurts don't have to.
• Ingredients - Must me in a list of descending weight. If water makes up more than 5% then it must be listed.
• Date mark - All foods should be date marked apart from very long life products.
• Storage instructions - The storage instructions should be given so that the date mark is valid.
• Name and address of manufacturer - This is shown for comments / complaints and questions the consumer may wish to ask.
• Place of origin - Some products may appear misleading if their place of origin is not stated.
• Preparation instructions - Should be shown especially on high risk foods so all of bacteria are killed during cooking.
• Weight or quantity - So as consumer can compare fairly.
• Special claims - e.g. Suitable for Vegetarians.