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Food Standards Agency

Friday 3 July 2009

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Labelling Guidance

Guidance notes for businesses on food labelling regulations including guidance notes on place of origin, QUID, food (lot marking), what food should carry a 'use by' date and nutrition labelling.

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Allergen management and labelling for pre-packed foods

Best practice guidance on managing food allergens with particular reference to avoiding cross-contamination and using appropriate advisory labelling (e.g. ‘May Contain’ labelling).

Basmati rice

A UK code of practice for basmati rice has been developed.

Clear Food Labelling

The purpose of this guidance is to help manufacturers, producers and retailers provide food label information for pre-packed foods in a clear way that is helpful to consumers, and be aware of the relevant UK food labelling legislation for pre-packed foods.

Cocoa and chocolate products Guidance Notes

Cocoa and Chocolate Products Regulations 2003.

Condensed Milk and Dried Milk Regulations 2003 Guidance Notes

The Regulations make rules governing the labelling of certain preserved milk, and the manufacturing specifications to be adhered to if products are to be described by certain reserved descriptions.

Country of origin labelling guidance

The Food Standards Agency has published revised guidance for industry and enforcement authorities on country of origin labelling, as part of its continuing commitment to improve food labelling for consumers.

Criteria for the use of the terms Fresh, Pure, Natural etc.

The Agency has revised its guidance on the use of marketing terms such as 'fresh', 'pure' and 'natural'.

Fish Labelling Regulations 2003 Guidance Notes

Fish Labelling Guidance - March 2003

Food Labelling Regulations Guidance Notes

The Food Labelling Regulations 1996

Food assurance schemes guidance notes

The purpose of this guidance is to provide advice for food assurance schemes schemes on best practice and help consumers by promoting best practice amongst assurance schemes.

Food supplements: label advisory statements and suggested reformulations

This note introduces advice that applies to some food supplements containing high levels of vitamins and minerals. The advice covers advisory statements to be included on labels and, in a limited number of cases, suggests reformulation.

Foods for particular nutritional uses, medical foods and infant formula: Guidance notes and notification forms

A food for a particular nutritional use is one which owing to its special composition or process of manufacture, is clearly distinguishable from food intended for normal consumption and is sold in such a way as to indicate its suitability for its claimed particular nutritional purpose.

Fruit Juices and Fruit Nectars (England) Regulations 2003 Guidance Notes

The new legislation will replace the Fruit Juices and Fruit Nectars Regulations 1977 (as amended) which currently apply to the whole of Great Britain.

Guidance Notes on the Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula Regulations (2007) as amended

Date of publication: 22 May 2008

Guidance on food allergen labelling legislation

These guidance notes on the food labelling legislation provide informal guidance on food allergen labelling for pre-packed foods. They aim to help manufacturers, retailers, caterers and enforcement authorities ensure consistent and transparent labelling.

Guidance on labelling of added ingredients in MPR Reg 5 meat products

This is a guide to regulatory compliance incorporating guidance on best practice relating to labelling of added ingredients in meat products which have the appearance of a cut, joint, slice, portion or carcass of meat or of cured meat, whether cooked or uncooked. In this guidance such meat products are referred to as appearing like 'whole meats'.

Guidance on the use of the terms 'vegetarian' and 'vegan' in food labelling

There is no definition in law of the terms 'vegetarian' or 'vegan' either at UK or European level. This document identifies the legislation relevant to the use of these terms, other legislation relevant to ingredient listing of animal products and provides advice on labelling foods as 'suitable for vegetarians' / 'vegetarian' or 'suitable for vegans' / 'vegan'.

Honey Regulations 2003 Guidance Notes

The Honey Regulations 2003, which came into force on 25 September 2003 in England, implement the provisions of EC Directive 2001/110 relating to honey.

Ingredient declaration of compound feedingstuffs by percentage weight of inclusion

An introductory guide to the provisions of the new legislation, intended for the use of enforcement personnel and feed business operators (for example, feed manufacturers, importers, merchants, food businesses selling food products into the animal feed chain), including new businesses wishing to gain an understanding of the legislation.

Jam and Similar Products (England) Regulations 2003 Guidance Notes

The Jam and Similar Products Regulations came into force in England on 31 December 2003 and separate analogous legislation was put in place in January 2004 in Northern Ireland and in March 2004 in Wales and Scotland.

Labelling and Composition of Meat Products Guidance Notes

Commission Directive 2001/101/EC amends the Food Labelling Directive (2000/13/EC), and introduces a European generic definition of meat for the purposes of labelling. The definition puts meat ingredient declarations in meat products on the same basis throughout the European Union, providing consumers with consistent and more transparent information.

Lot Marking Regulations Guidance Notes

Food (Lot Marking) Regulations 1996

Nutritional Labelling Guidance Notes

The Food Labelling Regulations 1996 (FLR).

Providing allergen information for non pre-packed foods

These documents provide voluntary best practice advice to help food retailers and caterers selling food that is not pre-packed provide allergen information on the food they sell.

Quantitative Ingredient Declarations (QUID) Guidance Notes

Food Labelling Regulations 1996, as amended by the Food Labelling (Amendment) Regulations 1998 and the Food Labelling (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 1999.

Specified Sugar Products Regulations 2003 Guidance Notes

The Regulations came into force in England and Northern Ireland on 12 July 2003. Analagous Regulations are anticipated to be brought into force in Scotland and Wales around November 2003.

Sweeteners in Food (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2003 Guidance Notes

The Sweeteners in Food (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2003 came into force on 23 May 2003 and permit the marketing and use of the sweetener, salt of aspartame-acesulfame, for two years.

The Meat Products Regulations 2003 - Summary guidance for bakers

These Guidance Notes are designed for bakers and similar small businesses that make and sell meat products.

Updated list of commercial names for fish

Fish labelling regulations require that certain fish and aquaculture products are labelled when they're sold to consumers with the commercial designation of the fish species (such as cod, salmon, and so on), the production method and the catch area or country of origin.

Use by date Guidance Notes

The Food Labelling Regulations 1996

See also

Guidance notes Guidance for food regulations including food labelling and meat hygiene

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