Food labelling

• the law on food labelling changed from 13 December 2014*
• Wiltshire businesses have been made aware of the changes to food labels required; the most important change is a requirement that allergens are emphasised in the ingredients list as previously this information was provided in various ways, causing confusion.
• consumers with allergies or intolerance to certain foods will only need to check the ingredients list

* EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation No. 1169/2011 (opens new window)

• name of the food
• list of ingredients with allergens emphasised
• storage instructions and instructions for use if appropriate
• 'Best before' or 'use by' date
• name and address of manufacturer
• nutritional information
• quantity
• Quantitative ingredients declarations (QUID)
• alcoholic content in drinks
• special claims

For more information GOV.UK: Food labelling: loose foods (opens new window).

• sample a wide range of food for analysis or examination to make sure the composition and labelling are accurate
• use our expertise to target suspect foodstuffs available on the market
• remain alert for instances of food substitution e.g. calling a food 'lobster' when it is in fact another species or perhaps selling a cheaper brand of whisky for a 'branded name'
• the quality of food you eat is our business so we regularly visit food premises and carry out full inspections, which include safety checks that no perishable food is on sale past its 'use by' date. This includes sales of food in shops, pubs, takeaways and restaurants

We understand that businesses may have difficulty in understanding the wide range of legislation controlling the food market, so we use our expertise to offer advice and guidance in the following ways:

• by sampling a wide range of food for analysis or examination to make sure the composition and labelling are accurate during inspections
• through business information leaflets
• by offering advice to businesses about their particular problems