UK food labelling regulations are not merely administrative requirements; they are a fundamental pillar of consumer safety, brand credibility, and legal compliance. Every food business operating in the United Kingdom, whether manufacturing, importing, packing, or selling, must ensure that food labels are accurate, transparent, and fully compliant with UK law. Failure to do so exposes businesses to enforcement action, financial penalties, reputational damage, and product withdrawals.
This guide provides a comprehensive, practical, and authoritative overview of UK food labelling requirements, designed to help food businesses meet their legal obligations while maintaining operational efficiency and market trust.
Key Takeaways
- UK food labelling regulations are comprehensive and legally binding, covering all aspects of ingredient, allergen, and nutrition information.
- The Food Information Regulations 2014, Natasha’s Law (for PPDS foods), and the proposed Owen’s Law (for non-prepacked foods) form the core legislative framework.
- Accurate, clear, and accessible allergen and nutrition labelling is required for all prepacked foods, with strict rules on how information must be displayed.
- Only authorized nutrition and health claims are permitted, and all claims must be scientifically substantiated and presented transparently.
- Failure to comply can result in fines, product recalls, and legal action; enforcement is active and ongoing.
- Utilizing MenuSano can help businesses automate compliance, mitigate risk, and maintain consistency across all products and locations.
- Relying on official government resources and guidance (FSA, DEFRA) is essential for staying up to date and meeting audit requirements.
Key UK Food Labelling Laws and Regulatory Framework
Food Information Regulations 2014 (FIR)
The Food Information Regulations 2014 form the backbone of food labelling law in the UK. These regulations incorporate retained EU Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, ensuring continuity following Brexit. FIR governs how food information must be presented to consumers, including mandatory particulars, legibility standards, and language requirements. Under the FIR, all mandatory food information must be:
- Accurate and verifiable
- Clear and easy to understand
- Presented in English
- Visible, legible, and indelible
Natasha’s Law and PPDS Foods
Natasha’s Law, introduced in October 2021, represents a major shift in allergen labelling requirements. It applies specifically to Prepacked for Direct Sale (PPDS) foods, including items prepared and packed on-site for sale before being ordered.
PPDS foods must display:
- A full ingredients list
- All 14 regulated allergens are clearly emphasized within the ingredients list
This legislation was introduced to prevent fatal allergic reactions and has significantly increased compliance expectations for food service businesses.
Owen’s Law: Allergen Information for Non-Prepacked Foods
Owen’s Law represents a significant enhancement to allergen transparency within the UK food sector, particularly for non-prepacked foods sold in hospitality and food service settings.
Introduced to strengthen consumer protection following high-profile allergen-related incidents, Owen’s Law reinforces the obligation for food businesses to provide clear, accurate, and accessible allergen information for foods sold loose, made to order, or packed at the consumer’s request.
Under Owen’s Law, food businesses must ensure that:
- Allergen information is always available for non-prepacked foods
- Consumers can access allergen details in writing, verbally, or digitally
- Information provided is accurate, consistent, and verifiable
- Staff are properly trained to communicate allergen risks confidently and correctly
Unlike Natasha’s Law, which mandates full ingredient labelling for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) foods, Owen’s Law focuses on foods such as:
- Restaurant and café meals
- Bakery items are sold loose
- Takeaway foods prepared to order
- Dishes served in catering and institutional settings
Food businesses must clearly signpost how customers can obtain allergen information, using statements such as “Please ask staff for allergen information” or by providing written allergen matrices, menus, or digital allergen systems.
Failure to comply with Owen’s Law may result in enforcement action by local authorities, including improvement notices, fines, or prosecution where consumer safety is compromised. Together with the Food Information Regulations 2014 and Natasha’s Law, Owen’s Law forms a comprehensive legal framework ensuring allergen transparency across all food sale formats in the UK.
However, Owen’s Law has still not taken effect yet; it is currently awaiting full legislative implementation and regulatory guidance. Here’s more information about Owen’s Law.
Regulatory Authorities
Several authorities oversee food labelling enforcement in the UK:
- Food Standards Agency (FSA): Responsible for food safety, allergen control, and labelling enforcement
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA): Oversees food policy and regulatory development
- Local Authorities: Conduct inspections, investigations, and enforcement actions
Mandatory Food Labelling Requirements in the UK
UK law requires all prepacked foods to display a defined set of information. Each element must be accurate, complete, and formatted correctly.
Mandatory Label Information
Food labels must include:
- Legal name of the food
- Full ingredients list, listed in descending order by weight
- Allergen declaration, highlighting all regulated allergens
- Quantitative Ingredient Declaration (QUID) for characterizing ingredients
- Net quantity (g, kg, ml, or l)
- Best before or use by date
- Name and address of the food business operator
- Country of origin or place of provenance, where required
- Storage conditions and instructions for use
- Mandatory nutrition declaration
The 14 Regulated Allergens
UK law requires the following allergens to be declared and emphasized:
Celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites
Allergens must be clearly distinguished through bold text, capitalization, or contrasting formatting.
UK Nutrition Labelling Requirements Explained
Mandatory Nutrition Information
Nutrition declarations must be provided per 100g or 100ml and include:
- Energy (kJ and kcal)
- Fat
- Saturates
- Carbohydrate
- Sugars
- Protein
- Salt
This information must follow the prescribed order and format set out in legislation. Voluntary per-portion values may be added but must remain consistent with the mandatory declaration.
Accuracy and Data Integrity
Nutrition values must be calculated using:
- Recognized food composition databases, such as McCance and Widdowson
- Laboratory analysis, where appropriate
- Validated recipe calculation methods
Businesses are legally responsible for ensuring that declared values accurately reflect the product’s nutritional composition.
Nutrition and Health Claims Compliance
Regulation of Claims
All nutrition and health claims are governed by the retained EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. Only claims listed on the authorized register are eligible for use.
Examples include:
- “Low fat”
- “High fibre”
- “Source of protein”
- “Vitamin D contributes to normal immune function”.
Claims must:
- Meet defined nutrient thresholds
- Be scientifically substantiated
- Be presented without exaggeration or ambiguity
Unauthorized or misleading claims constitute a breach of food law and may trigger enforcement action.
Front-of-Pack and Voluntary Labelling
Traffic Light Labelling
While front-of-pack traffic light labelling remains voluntary in the UK, it is widely adopted. This system provides colour-coded information for:
- Fat
- Saturates
- Sugars
- Salt
- Energy per portion
Where used, traffic light labels must follow official UK guidance and be calculated accurately.
Voluntary Claims and Statements
Voluntary statements such as “suitable for vegetarians”, “gluten-free”, or “no added sugar” must be truthful, substantiated, and compliant with applicable legislation.
Penalties and Enforcement for Non-Compliance
Failure to comply with UK food labelling regulations can result in:
- Improvement notices
- Product recalls and withdrawals
- Unlimited fines
- Criminal prosecution for severe breaches
Local authorities and the FSA actively enforce food labelling law, particularly where consumer safety is compromised.
Best Practice Compliance Strategies for Food Businesses
Operational Compliance Measures
We recommend the following compliance strategies:
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date recipes
- Review ingredient specifications regularly
- Recalculate nutrition values following recipe changes
- Retain documentation for audits and inspections
- Monitor regulatory updates issued by the FSA and DEFRA
Digital Compliance Solutions
Modern food businesses increasingly rely on automation to reduce risk and improve efficiency. MenuSano enables businesses to:
- Perform accurate nutrition analysis
- Manage ingredient and allergen declaration
- Generate UK-compliant food labels
- Ensure consistency across multiple products and locations
Automation significantly reduces human error while supporting ongoing compliance.
Official UK Food Labelling Resources
Authoritative guidance is available from:
- Food Standards Agency (FSA)
- DEFRA Food Labelling Guidance
- Local Authority Environmental Health Departments
Businesses should rely on official sources and validated tools when developing labels.
Achieving Confidence and Compliance
UK food labelling regulations demand precision, transparency, and accountability. Compliance protects consumers, strengthens brand trust, and safeguards businesses against legal and financial risk. By applying structured processes, using reliable data, and leveraging compliant software solutions such as MenuSano, food businesses can confidently meet regulatory requirements while maintaining operational efficiency and market competitiveness.
