Selling in the European Union?

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.

Prepacked food

Label required

Name of the food, net quantity and alcoholic strength in the same field of vision

• Sold prepacked
• Reusable indelibly marked glass bottle without label: no

Depends on: sold prepacked, glass bottle reusable unlabelled

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.

Name or business name and address of the food business operator

Label required

Name or business name and address of the food business operator

• Sold prepacked
• Reusable indelibly marked glass bottle without label: no

Depends on: sold prepacked, glass bottle reusable unlabelled

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.

Country of origin or place of provenance where Art. 26 provides for it

Label required

Country of origin or place of provenance where provided for in Art. 26

• Sold prepacked
• Reusable indelibly marked glass bottle without label: no

Depends on: sold prepacked, glass bottle reusable unlabelled

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.

Prepacked food sold at a distance

Disclosure to online listing

Mandatory food information, except the date of minimum durability or use by date, available before purchase on the distance-selling material or by other clearly identified means

• Sold online
• Sold prepacked

Depends on: whether it is sold online, sold prepacked

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.

Prepacked food sold at a distance

Disclosure to consumer

All mandatory particulars available at the moment of delivery

• Sold online
• Sold prepacked

Depends on: whether it is sold online, sold prepacked

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.

Name of the food

Must meet the conditions of Name of the food not replaced by a name protected as intellectual property, a brand name or a fancy name

• Sold prepacked

Depends on: sold prepacked

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.

Voluntary food information

Must meet the conditions of Art. 36(1): voluntary information of the kinds in Arts. 9 and 10 complies with Sections 2 and 3 of Chapter IV

• Sold prepacked

Depends on: sold prepacked

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.

Voluntary food information

Must meet the conditions of Art. 36(2): voluntary information is not misleading, ambiguous or confusing and is based on scientific data where appropriate

• Sold prepacked

Depends on: sold prepacked

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.

Voluntary food information

Must meet the conditions of Art. 37: voluntary information not displayed to the detriment of the space for mandatory information

• Sold prepacked

Depends on: sold prepacked

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.

List of ingredients

Label required

Heading including the word ‘ingredients’; all ingredients in descending order of weight at the time of use in manufacture

• Sold prepacked
• Reusable indelibly marked glass bottle without label: no
• List of ingredients is present

Depends on: sold prepacked, glass bottle reusable unlabelled, list of ingredients present

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.

List of ingredients

Label required

List of ingredients

• Sold prepacked
• Reusable indelibly marked glass bottle without label: no
• List of ingredients is present

Depends on: sold prepacked, glass bottle reusable unlabelled, list of ingredients present

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.

List of ingredients

Label required

Engineered nanomaterial ingredients clearly indicated, with the word ‘nano’ in brackets after the name

• Sold prepacked
• Reusable indelibly marked glass bottle without label: no
• List of ingredients is present
• Contains an engineered nanomaterial ingredient

Depends on: sold prepacked, glass bottle reusable unlabelled, list of ingredients present, engineered nanomaterial ingredient

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.

Allergens present in the finished product

Label required

Annex II allergen indicated in the list of ingredients with a clear reference to its Annex II name

• List of ingredients is present
• The name of the food clearly refers to the allergenic substance: no

Depends on: list of ingredients present, name of food refers to allergen

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.

Allergens present in the finished product

Label required

Annex II substance name emphasised through a typeset that distinguishes it from the rest of the list of ingredients (font, style or background colour)

• List of ingredients is present
• The name of the food clearly refers to the allergenic substance: no

Depends on: list of ingredients present, name of food refers to allergen

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.

Allergens present in the finished product, no list of ingredients

Label required

The word ‘contains’ followed by the Annex II name of the substance or product

• Allergens it contains: Cereals containing gluten or Crustaceans or Eggs or Fish or Peanuts or Soy or Milk or Tree nuts or Celery or Mustard or Sesame or Sulphites or Lupin or Molluscs

Depends on: allergens present

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.