In the guide

The law sets out rules that cover the preparation, composition and labelling of food supplied for human consumption

In broad terms:

  • the quality must meet the expectations of the consumer
  • it must be as described and not presented in a way that misleads the consumer
  • nothing may be added or removed that would make it harmful to health 

And the rules covering food safety can be divided into two broad areas:

  • the preparation of a product (for example, hygiene)
  • the finished product (such as labelling and presentation) 

If you prepare, pack or sell certain specific food products there will be additional regulations; check the In-depth Guides to find out whether there are extra rules that apply to you.

There are laws that cover the weighing and measuring of foods.

Make sure you check the 'Weights and measures' Quick Guide or you can find detailed information in the In-depth Guides under 'Other' below.

Food hygiene and safety

Food businesses and handlers must ensure that their practices minimise the risk of harm to the consumer.

Millions of people in the UK are affected by food poisoning each year, so food hygiene is a key priority if you prepare or handle food. There are a number of key risks, including illness or death from food poisoning, increased consumer complaints, loss of reputation, legal action and fines.

There are seven issues that must be considered by businesses that prepare and handle food:

  • contamination
  • temperature controls
  • storage and preservation
  • personal hygiene
  • pest control
  • cleaning and disinfection
  • food safety management

This area is covered by Environmental Health rather than Trading Standards, and is therefore not covered on the site. Contact your local Environmental Health service for advice on these issues.

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Food safety: quality and composition

There are rules that cover the make-up of a range of foods that could be high risk if lower-quality ingredients or products have been used. These foodstuffs include bottled mineral water, jams and meat products.

The composition and labelling requirements for such high-risk foods are covered in regulations that are designed to protect consumers from illegal changes to foods. You can find information on these regulations and who they apply to in the In-depth Guides.

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Food safety: quality and labelling

The law sets out what is required to be shown on food packaging. This is to allow the consumer to make an informed choice.

Prepacked foods are supplied to you already packaged. Non-prepacked foods are those that are sold unwrapped - for example, in restaurants, bakeries, deli counters or salad bars. Foods may also be sold 'prepacked for direct sale', which is where the food is packaged on the same premises as they are sold, or from a mobile stall or vehicle used by the packer. Examples include meat pies or sandwiches packaged in and sold from a shop.

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Prepacked food

If you sell food that is prepacked you must give the following information:

  • the name of the food
  • a best-before or use-by date
  • the net quantity
  • a list of ingredients (unless the product is a single ingredient and the name of the product is the ingredient); allergenic ingredients must be emphasised in some way (such as bolding) each time they appear in the list
  • a quantitative declaration (QUID) of certain ingredients
  • the name and address of the responsible food business operator
  • a nutrition declaration (unless exempt; see the In-depth Guide for more information)
  • traceability information such as a lot number (unless the best-before / use-by date is sufficient for traceability purposes)
  • any special storage conditions (if necessary)
  • instructions for use or cooking (if necessary)
  • origin marking (only if the customer would be misled as to the origin without it)
  • any required warnings - for example, if food contains aspartame the following wording must be given: 'Contains a source of phenylalanine'
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Best before, use by and sell by

Date marking of foods
Best before Use by Sell by
For most foods, the 'best before' date mark is appropriate. It relates to the quality of the food and is an indication of the period for which a food can reasonably be expected to retain its optimal condition. Retailers can sell food after the best-before date provided the food is safe to eat, but they take responsibility for the quality of the food if they do so For foods that are highly perishable 'use by' is the required form of date mark. These foods present a microbiological risk to the consumer if sold after the indicated date, and so this mark relates to the safety of the food. It is an offence for shops to sell food after its use-by date Products may be labelled with 'sell by' and 'display until' dates, but these are not required by law and are used mainly for stock control purposes within business premises. A sell-by date cannot replace a best-before or use-by date. (There are different rules for eggs)

There are other special rules for subjects such as the country of origin, and treatments such as genetically modified (GM) food. Again, see the In-depth Guides below if you are in any doubt about the laws that apply to you.

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Non-prepacked food

If you sell non-prepacked (loose, packaged at the request of the consumer) food in your shop or you run a catering business, the rules are different. You only need to show:

  • the name of the food
  • if any ingredients have been irradiated
  • if any ingredients have come from GM sources
  • certain warnings
  • allergen information (or a notice advising that this is available on request)
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Prepacked-for-direct-sale food

The requirements for food sold 'prepacked for direct sale' (PPDS) used to be similar to those for non-prepacked food, but in October 2021 they changed and are now more similar to prepacked food.

For more information, including how to identify PPDS food, see the In-depth Guide below.

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Nutrition and health claims

There are laws governing what claims the food label may make about the nutritional properties of the food - for example, 'low fat' - and/or the potential health benefits consuming the food may have.

It is illegal for the food (or any advertising for the food) to make a claim that consuming it can treat or be a remedy for cancer, or give any advice in connection with the treatment of cancer.

In Scotland, food labelling laws are not generally enforced by the Trading Standards service, but rather by Environmental Health. However, we have included In-depth Guides on food for Scotland in order to provide more comprehensive guidance.

For more detailed information please see the In-depth Guides below. Once you've finished, make sure you look at the full range of Quick Guides to see whether there are any other areas of law that affect your business.

Before you start
Make sure you choose your location using the drop-down list at the top of the page. The In-depth Guides provide country-specific information as some laws are different in England, Scotland and Wales, and some are enforced differently.

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In-depth guidance

This is a general guide and you may well need to know more; take a look below where we've listed our In-depth Guides on specific topics related to food and drink

General

Egg producers selling directly to consumers

When producers sell directly to the consumer there is a wide range of labelling requirements

Food allergens and intolerance

If you manufacture, prepare or sell food you need to understand which ingredients may cause allergic reactions and how to make your customers aware that they are present in the food they are eating

Nutrition and health claims

Labelling requirements for food producers that wish to make claims about their products

Composition

Colours in food

If you sell or supply food you need to give certain information about colours in foodstuffs

Composition of products containing meat

Legally there is a difference between meat and 'products containing meat' such as sausages and pies

Labelling

Date and lot marking of prepacked food

Recognise the importance of date marking of foodstuffs and when lot marking is necessary

Food labelled in a foreign language

If you supply food products you must ensure that certain compulsory information is given in English

Labelling of bread, cakes and similar products

Food labelling requirements for bakery products

Labelling of meat and products containing meat

Food labelling requirements when selling meat, including the requirements for products containing meat

Food labelling for caterers

The essentials of food labelling for restaurants, takeaways, etc, including some commonly misdescribed examples

Labelling of fish

Food labelling requirements when selling fish, including legal names of species and use of the term smoked

Labelling of fruit and vegetables

Food labelling requirements when selling fruit and vegetables, including different varieties and the use of the term 'organic'

Labelling of beef

The Compulsory Beef Labelling Scheme seeks to protect against another BSE scare.  

Genetically modified foods

If you supply food to the public you need to know what your obligations are regarding the labelling of GM foods

Labelling of honey

Labelling requirements for honey producers, including country of origin

Jam and similar products

The rules for the labelling and composition of jam, marmalade, mincemeat and other similar products

Labelling of meat: country of origin

Specific labelling requirements for meat from pigs, sheep, goats and poultry

Labelling of prepacked foods: general

General labelling requirements for packaged food products

Labelling of sweets

The requirements for the labelling of sweets

Labelling and describing organic food

When it is permissible to use the term 'organic' in product descriptions

Retail sale and labelling of eggs

There are specific requirements for the marking of eggs for retail sales, including descriptions and size

Sandwich labelling

Sandwiches must be labelled with certain food information, which will differ depending on how they are sold.

Labelling of prepacked foods: ingredients list

Labelling requirements for packaged food products, specifically relating to the ingredients list

Labelling of prepacked foods: nutrition declaration

Labelling requirements for packaged food products, specifically relating to the nutrition declaration

Labelling of prepacked foods: product name

Labelling requirements for packaged food products, specifically relating to the name of the product

Labelling of prepacked foods: QUID

Labelling requirements for packaged food products, specifically relating to the quantitative ingredient declaration (QUID)

Labelling of non-prepacked foods

Non-prepacked foods (those that are sold loose, or packaged at the request of the consumer) have fewer labelling requirements than those that are prepacked

Alcoholic beverages, spirits and food

Products containing alcohol – particularly spirit drinks – have specific labelling and composition requirements

Labelling of prepacked-for-direct-sale foods

Foods that are prepacked for direct sale have simpler labelling requirements than those that are prepacked, but more complex requirements than those that are non-prepacked

Other

Single-use carrier bags

All businesses are required to charge for most new single-use carrier bags they supply

Selling alcohol in licensed premises

Requirements for the sale of alcohol in pubs, restaurants, etc

Disposal of surplus food

Surplus food of animal origin must be disposed of safely to control the risk of disease to both animals and humans

Food hygiene for farmers and growers

Failure to adopt basic food hygiene procedures can lead to contamination or damage

Food sampling by authorised officers

The roles and responsibilities of authorised food officers, including taking of food samples

Herbal medicine and health food shops

How the law applies to products sold in these types of shop, including food supplements, cosmetics, and products of animal origin

Imported feed and food controls

Understand what is required if you import feed or food from outside the UK

Packaged goods: average quantity

An overview of the 'average quantity' system and what is required of packers or importers of packaged products who choose to use the system

Small bakers and average weight

The three rules of packing to the average-weight system for small bakers

Weighing and measuring meat

Requirements when selling meat loose and/or prepacked

Weighing and measuring fish

Requirements when selling fish loose and/or prepacked

Weighing and measuring fruit and vegetables

Requirements when selling fruit and vegetables loose and/or prepacked

Food contact materials

In order to keep food safe there are restrictions on the type of packaging that can be used 'for food contact'

Refill shops

Selling loose goods in containers that are brought in by consumers or provided by the business

Novel foods (including CBD and hemp)

Novel foods explained, including restrictions on their use and an explanation of the legal status of foods containing CBD and the permitted uses of hemp

Supplying surplus food and co-products as feed

Guidance for businesses - such as supermarkets, brewers, distillers, biofuel manufacturers, dairies and food manufacturers - that supply co-products and surplus foods for animal feed

High fat, sugar or salt ('less healthy') foods

There are restrictions on where products that are high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) can be displayed in stores; there are also controls for HFSS foods sold online

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Consumer enquiries from England, Scotland and Wales are handled by the Citizens Advice Consumer Service who can be contacted by telephone on 03454 04 05 06. Consumer enquiries in Northern Ireland are handled by ConsumerLine who can be contacted by telephone on 0300 1236262. Call charges may vary.

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Business enquiries are dealt with by your local council. Use the Chartered Trading Standards Institute's postcode finder to locate your local trading standards team.

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