Nutrition Declaration Guide
Getting your nutrition declaration right matters more than you think. One small error could mean trading standards officers at your door or products pulled from shelves. The good news? Understanding the rules isn’t complicated once you know what’s required.
At Positive ID Labels, we print thousands of compliant food labels every week. This guide breaks down everything you need to know in plain English.
What Is a Nutrition Declaration?
A nutrition declaration is the table of nutritional information on prepacked food products. You’ve seen them countless times – that grid showing energy, fat, carbohydrates, protein and salt values. Since December 2016, this has been mandatory on most prepacked foods in the UK.
The declaration tells consumers exactly what they’re eating, helping people compare products and make informed choices.
We’ve had a great experience working with this supplier, especially with Natalie - she is always very responsive, professional, and friendly. The pricing is highly competitive and the sales service has been excellent from start to finish.If I could offer one suggestion, it would be to improve the account and invoice management process. It would be really helpful if there were a system for clients to easily track their past orders and invoices in one place.Overall, very pleased with the service and look forward to continuing our collaboration.
Absolutely brilliant service from start to finish. The team are brilliant and the product was excellent quality and exactly what I wanted. Natalie is amazing as are her colleagues. Will definitely be a returning customer. Thank you
Ive used Positive ID Labelling Ltd for all our egg box labels for many years now. Natalie is always above and beyond helpful and the service is exceptionally fast and efficient.
I inadvertently ordered the incorrect label guns which was quickly sorted by Natalie. She was excellent, customer service at its best! Thank you once again
Mandatory Nutrition Declaration Requirements
Every prepacked food product (with some exemptions) must display these seven elements in this exact order:
- Energy – Shown in both kiloJoules (kJ) and kilocalories (kcal)
- Fat – Total fat content in grams
- Saturates – Shown as “of which saturates” under fat
- Carbohydrate – Total carbohydrate content in grams
- Sugars – Shown as “of which sugars” under carbohydrate
- Protein – Total protein content in grams
- Salt – Calculated by multiplying sodium content by 2.5
All values must be expressed per 100g or per 100ml. You can additionally show values per portion, but the per-100g figure is always required.
The declaration must be accompanied by the statement: “Reference intake of an average adult per day 8400kJ/2000kcal“
Who Needs Nutritional Labelling?
Most prepacked food requires this information. However, certain products and businesses qualify for exemptions.
Nutrition Declaration Exemptions
Products that don’t require nutritional declarations include unprocessed single-ingredient foods, herbs and spices, salt, water, tea and coffee (without added ingredients), vinegar, and food in very small packages under 25cm².
Small Business Exemption
Businesses with fewer than 10 employees and turnover under £1.4 million may be exempt but only when supplying directly to consumers or local retailers within your county, neighbouring counties, or 30 miles from your county boundary.
Even exempt businesses must provide nutritional information if they make health or nutrition claims on packaging.
Voluntary Information You Can Add
Beyond the mandatory seven elements, you can include additional data. Popular voluntary additions include mono-unsaturates and polyunsaturates, polyols and starch, fibre, and vitamins and minerals (if present in significant amounts – Âtypically 15% of the nutrient reference value per 100g).
Formatting Your Nutrition Declaration
Presentation matters. Your nutrition declaration must be clearly legible with a minimum x-height of 1.2mm. On packages smaller than 80cm ², this reduces to 0.9mm.
Where space permits, present information in a table with numbers aligned. Linear format is acceptable when space is genuinely limited.
Nutrition Declaration Table Format
Required Nutrition Declaration Order
| Typical Values | Per 100g |
|---|---|
| Energy | kJ/kcal |
| Fat | g |
| of which saturates | g |
| Carbohydrate | g |
| of which sugars | g |
| Protein | g |
| Salt | g |
Keep the order consistent. Regulators expect information in this exact sequence.
Nutrition Declaration Font Requirements
Text must meet minimum legibility standards for consumer readability.
Front of Pack Labelling
While back-of-pack declarations are mandatory, front-of-pack (FoP) labelling remains voluntary. Many retailers use the traffic light system – Âred, amber and green colours indicating whether nutrient levels are high, medium or low.
FoP labels can show either energy alone or energy plus fat, saturates, sugars and salt. If you’re supplying major retailers, they’ll likely expect this information.
Getting Your Values Right
Where do the numbers come from? Three options exist:
- Laboratory analysis – Â Direct testing of your products
- Calculation from ingredients – Â Using known values and proportions
- Food composition databases – Â McCance & Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods is the UK standard
- Nutridata – our very own nutrition labelling software specifically designed for food labelling and sandwich labelling
Declared values should be averages accounting for natural variation.
Common Nutrition Declaration Mistakes to Avoid
We see these errors regularly:
- Wrong order – Nutrients must appear in the specified sequence
- Missing units – Every value needs its unit (kJ, kcal, g)
- Salt vs sodium confusion – Labels must show salt, not sodium
- Illegible text – Font sizes below minimum requirements
- Missing per-100g values – Per-portion information alone isn’t sufficient
How Positive ID Labels Can Help
Creating compliant food labels shouldn’t consume your day. Our team understands UK food labelling regulations inside out.
Our Screen UV inkjet printer produces crisp 600dpi text, perfect for nutrition tables readable at small sizes. For premium artisan products, our Xeikon digital press delivers 1200dpi resolution with exceptional colour accuracy.
We offer fast 3-5 day turnaround from central England, competitive pricing, and genuine expertise in food label compliance. Questions? Call 01332 864895 to speak with our team.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nutrition Declarations
Do I need a nutrition declaration for farmers’ market products? If you’re prepacking products before sale and don’t qualify for the small business exemption, yes. Products packed at customer request have simpler requirements.
Can I use software to calculate values? Yes, provided the software uses recognised databases or data sources (such as the supplier’s declaration) and your ingredient quantities are accurate. Have a look at our own Nutrition Data Software for Food Businesses
What happens if actual values differ from the label? Some variation is tolerated. Significant discrepancies could lead to enforcement action. Values should represent typical product composition.
Do drinks require nutrition declarations? Most prepacked beverages require full declarations. Alcoholic drinks above 1.2% ABV are currently exempt, though voluntary energy declarations are permitted.
How often should I review my information? Review whenever you change recipes, suppliers, or processes. Annual checks are sensible even without changes.
What if I make a nutrition claim like “low fat”? Any nutrition claim triggers specific requirements. “Low fat” means no more than 3g fat per 100g.
Ready to Print Compliant Food Labels?
Whether you need a few hundred labels or tens of thousands, we deliver quality, speed and value on every order. Our team can advise on materials suitable for your product environment – from chilled cabinets to ambient shelves.
Reference Materials: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers
Call 01332 864895 for a free quote and expert guidance. Complete our enquiry form and we’ll respond within hours.
Quality labels, delivered fast. That’s Positive ID Labels.
We’ve had a great experience working with this supplier, especially with Natalie - she is always very responsive, professional, and friendly. The pricing is highly competitive and the sales service has been excellent from start to finish.If I could offer one suggestion, it would be to improve the account and invoice management process. It would be really helpful if there were a system for clients to easily track their past orders and invoices in one place.Overall, very pleased with the service and look forward to continuing our collaboration.
Absolutely brilliant service from start to finish. The team are brilliant and the product was excellent quality and exactly what I wanted. Natalie is amazing as are her colleagues. Will definitely be a returning customer. Thank you
Ive used Positive ID Labelling Ltd for all our egg box labels for many years now. Natalie is always above and beyond helpful and the service is exceptionally fast and efficient.
I inadvertently ordered the incorrect label guns which was quickly sorted by Natalie. She was excellent, customer service at its best! Thank you once again
All food labelling guides are provided in good faith for information purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. For specific compliance questions about specific labelling laws, contact a specialist or contact your local Trading Standards authority. Read our Regulatory Information Disclaimer