Changes to labelling on products sold in the UK

Labels on pre-packaged food and drinks are changing due to a new European Regulation[1]. This new piece of legislation is designed to make food labelling easier for people to use.

It will take time to change all of the labels on every food and drink package, and so for a while both the old and the new labels will be in the shops. Labels have already started to change and nearly all of them will have changed by 13 December 2014.

Food labelling is a useful tool which informs people about their food choices. Although this legislation will result in changes to the labels of nearly every food and drink product on sale in Europe, people need not be intimidated or put off by these changes. With this guide we aim to de-mystify some of the changes that have been introduced under this legislation; in doing so we hope to equip healthcare professionals with information to help their patients adapt to the new food labels and use them with confidence.

Further resources

Notes

1. The regulation's full name is the 'EU Regulation 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers'