Exemptions From Nutrition Labelling

Although food manufacturers need to declare the ingredients contained within their products in quantity order from high to low (ingredient declaration) with allergens emboldened or STANDING OUT and with quantities of ingredients where their presence is stated or expected (QUID), not all manufacturers are aware that there are exemptions to nutrition labelling.

If you supply prepacked food in the EU or UK, you will probably need to add a nutrition label.  BUT there are numerous exemptions:

1. Single, unadulterated, single items, such as apples or eggs
   
   
2. Some product types, mainly having little nutritional value:

• Herbs, spices or mixtures of them
• Sweeteners
• Infusions, such as tea and fruit tea
• Vinegars and vinegar substitutes
• Flavourings
• Food additives
• Processing aids
• Food enzymes
• Gelatine
• Setting compounds e.g., Pectin
• Yeast
• Chewing gum

3. Some food products have more specific regulations:

• bread and flour
• cocoa and chocolate products
• soluble coffee
• milk products
• honey
• fruit juices and nectars
• infant formula
• jams and marmalade
• meat products – sausages, burgers and pies
• fish
• natural mineral waters
• spreadable fats
• sugars
• irradiated food
• foods containing genetic modification (GM)

4. Some packages that qualify as too small to house a nutrition label, defined as 25cm² maximum area for any side (that’s 5cm or 2inch square)

5. Small manufacturers of products sold directly to consumers and to ‘local’ retailers. Local generally understood to be within a 30mile or 50km radius of the production site, and ‘small’ is understood to be employing fewer than 10 people and with an annual turnover of less than £1.4 Million.