Which rules apply to packaged food and beverages?

Foods containing more than 10 % added polyols

Label required

‘excessive consumption may produce laxative effects’

• Sold prepacked
• Contains more than 10 % added polyols

Depends on: sold prepacked, added polyols over 10 percent

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

Beverages with caffeine above 150 mg/l

Label required

‘High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women’ in the same field of vision as the name of the beverage, followed by the caffeine content in mg per 100 ml in brackets

• Sold prepacked
• A beverage
• Caffeine content at least 150.01 mg/L

Depends on: sold prepacked, beverage, caffeine mg per l

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted. The threshold is read as 150.01 mg/l or more (in excess of 150 mg/l). The exception for beverages based on coffee, tea or their extracts whose name includes ‘coffee’ or ‘tea’ is applied as an exclusion.

Foods other than beverages with caffeine added for a physiological purpose

Label required

‘Contains caffeine. Not recommended for children or pregnant women’ in the same field of vision as the name of the food, followed by the caffeine content in mg per 100 g/ml in brackets

• Sold prepacked
• A beverage: no

Depends on: sold prepacked, beverage

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

Food treated with ionising radiation

Label required

Indication ‘irradiated’ or ‘treated with ionising radiation’

• Sold prepacked
• Treated with ionising radiation

Depends on: sold prepacked, irradiated

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

1. The net quantity of a food shall be expressed using litres, centilitres, mill

Label required

1. The net quantity of a food shall be expressed using litres, centilitres, millilitres, kilograms or grams, as appropriate:

• Sold prepacked
• Net quantity exempt under Annex IX point 1(a) or (c): no

Depends on: sold prepacked, annex ix sold by number or loss

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

(e) the net quantity of the food;

Label required

(e) the net quantity of the food;

• Sold prepacked
• Net quantity exempt under Annex IX point 1(a) or (c): no

Depends on: sold prepacked, annex ix sold by number or loss

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

Net quantity

Label required

Net quantity in litres, centilitres, millilitres, kilograms or grams: volume for liquid products, mass for other products

• Sold prepacked
• Net quantity exempt under Annex IX point 1(a) or (c): no

Depends on: sold prepacked, annex ix sold by number or loss

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

Net quantity of the food

Label required

Net quantity of the food

• Sold prepacked
• Net quantity exempt under Annex IX point 1(a) or (c): no

Depends on: sold prepacked, annex ix sold by number or loss

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

The declared values shall, according to the individual case, be average values b

Must meet the conditions of The declared values shall, according to the individual case, be average values based on:

Every product in the category

In force since 13 Dec 2016

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2016

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

Food information shall be accurate, clear and easy to understand for the consume

Must meet the conditions of Food information shall be accurate, clear and easy to understand for the consumer.

Every product in the category

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

food information shall not attribute to any food the property of preventing, tre

Must meet the conditions of food information shall not attribute to any food the property of preventing, treating or curing a human disease

Every product in the category

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

All foods

Must meet the conditions of Mandatory food information available and easily accessible

Every product in the category

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

Food business operator responsible for the food information

Must meet the conditions of Art. 8(2): ensure the presence and accuracy of the food information

Every product in the category

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

Operators within their control

Must meet the conditions of Art. 8(4): do not modify food information so as to mislead

Every product in the category

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

Operators within their control

Must meet the conditions of Art. 8(5): ensure compliance with food information requirements relevant to their activities and verify them

Every product in the category

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

Food information must not be misleading

Must meet the conditions of Art. 7: food information must not be misleading as to characteristics, effects or properties

Every product in the category

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Mandatory food information

Label required

Conspicuous place, easily visible, clearly legible and, where appropriate, indelible; not hidden, obscured or interrupted by other matter

Every product in the category

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

Mandatory food information

Label required

Mandatory food information in a language easily understood by consumers of the Member State where the food is marketed

Every product in the category

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

Nutrition declaration

Label required

Energy value and nutrient amounts per 100 g or per 100 ml

Every product in the category

In force since 13 Dec 2016

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2016

Art. 55: point (l) of Art. 9(1) and Arts. 29-35 apply from 13 December 2016. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date that do not comply with point (l) may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

Nutrition declaration

Label required

Art. 30(1) and (2) particulars in the same field of vision, presented together in a clear format

Every product in the category

In force since 13 Dec 2016

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2016

Art. 55: point (l) of Art. 9(1) and Arts. 29-35 apply from 13 December 2016. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date that do not comply with point (l) may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

Nutrition declaration

Label required

Tabular format with numbers aligned if space permits; otherwise linear format

Every product in the category

In force since 13 Dec 2016

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2016

Art. 55: point (l) of Art. 9(1) and Arts. 29-35 apply from 13 December 2016. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date that do not comply with point (l) may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

Non-prepacked food, allergens present

Label required

Allergen particulars of Art. 9(1)(c) for food offered without prepackaging, packed on the sales premises at the consumer's request or prepacked for direct sale

Every product in the category

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.

Allergen present in the finished product

Label required

Any Annex II ingredient or processing aid (or derived substance) causing allergies or intolerances still present in the finished product, even in altered form

Every product in the category

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted. The 14 Annex II allergen groups are cereals containing gluten to molluscs; the Annex II list text defining their exceptions is read from the published text and not covered by ClaraDB.

Prepacked food, largest surface 80 cm2 or more

Label required

Mandatory particulars of Art. 9(1) in characters with an x-height of at least 1.2 mm

• Sold prepacked
• Largest package surface area at least 80 cm2

Depends on: sold prepacked, small package area cm2

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted. The 1.2 mm rule applies to packages whose largest surface is 80 cm2 or more; Art. 13(3) sets 0.9 mm below 80 cm2.

Prepacked food, largest surface under 80 cm2

Label required

Mandatory particulars of Art. 9(1) in characters with an x-height of at least 0.9 mm

• Sold prepacked
• Largest package surface area below 80 cm2

Depends on: sold prepacked, small package area cm2

In force since 13 Dec 2014

Applies to products placed on the market on or after 13 Dec 2014

Art. 55: applies from 13 December 2014. Art. 54: foods placed on the market or labelled before that date may be marketed until stocks are exhausted.