Food labelling requirements are set out by law. Food destined for Northern Ireland (NI) must comply with national regulations as well as the European Union (EU) regulations that apply to general and product-specific labelling. In NI, local councils enforce both national and international rules.

Goods imported into Northern Ireland from outside the EU may be checked by the local council. Certain products are subject to specific checks at import. 

Once your goods are on sale in shops or supermarkets, environmental health or trading standards officers are also likely to check them. If your imported products are in breach of labelling and packaging requirements, they may take action against you.

While the list below is compulsory for most imported foods, many types of food have extra requirements. For instance, traders must comply with the extra food labelling systems, such as health marks for meat.

Traders must also check additional requirements for their type of goods.

General labelling standards for NI and EU

Food labelling requirements for NI and EU fall under the EU Food Information to Consumers Regulation. Food sold to consumers or used in catering establishments must be marked with the following information:

• The name of the food. The law prescribes certain 'legal names', which must be used according to regulations, such as 'burger', 'sausage', 'jam', 'butter' and others. Otherwise, you may use a customary name, or one that consumers generally accept, such as 'Bakewell tart'. If no legal or customary name exists, you can use a descriptive name that clearly explains what the product is. Consideration must be given to any additional mandatory particulars which must accompany the name of the food, for example an indication of physical condition ie 'quick frozen', 'freeze dried', 'concentrated' and 'smoked'. You can find more details in Food Standards Agency's (FSA) guidance on the Food information Regulations 2014.
• A list of ingredients, usually in descending order of their weight at the time they were used to prepare the product. Ingredients should be listed using the same name as if they were sold as foods themselves. There are special rules for flavourings and functional additives such as preservatives and colours. Some foods, such as unprepared fresh fruit and vegetables, do not need to be listed as ingredients.
• The quantity of certain ingredients or categories of ingredients, usually the main ones or those used in the name. See below for details of the Quantitative Ingredient Declaration (QUID) rules that state the requirement to indicate the quantities of the main or key ingredients on the labels of food products sold in NI and the EU.
• The appropriate durability indication - the 'use by' date for highly perishable foods and the 'best before' date for other foods. 'Use by' dates are given in either day/month or day/month/year formats and indicate the date until which the food, if properly stored, is recommended for use. 'Best before' dates indicate the date until which the food will keep its properties if properly stored. Either give the date directly or indicate where it can be found, for example - 'Best before: see date on lid'. Some products, including fresh fruit and vegetables, and alcoholic drinks with an alcohol by volume (abv) strength above 10 per cent do not need to be labelled with a durability indication.
• Any special storage conditions and/or conditions of use. Special storage conditions might include, for example, 'store in a cool dry place', 'keep refrigerated', 'once opened, keep refrigerated and consume within 3 days'. Conditions of use might include, for example, 'not suitable for frying' or 'shake well before use'. The label should also indicate whether the food is suitable for home freezing and give instructions where required, such as 'freeze on day of purchase'.
• The name or business name and address of the food business operator.
• The place or country of origin (if failure to provide it might mislead the purchaser). Country of origin rules already exist in specific EU legislation for products such as pork, honey and fish.
• Additional requirements where applicable, including the abv of alcoholic drinks, an indication that packaging gases have been used (eg 'packaged in a protective atmosphere'), a warning of high caffeine content, labelling of sweeteners and glycyrrhizinic acid (a flavouring that masks bitterness) as well as lot or batch marking and weights and measures.
• Whether the food contains any of the following allergens - cereals containing gluten (including wheat, rye, barley and oats), crustaceans, molluscs, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, lupin, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, or sulphur dioxide and sulphites at more than 10 milligrams per kilogram or 10 milligrams per litre. The rules state that the allergen information must be emphasised in the ingredients list where one is used.
• Indication if the food is specially prepared for people with gluten intolerance. The claims 'gluten free' or 'very low gluten' have very specific meanings and can be used only on certain foods. 'Gluten free' means that the product contains 20 parts of gluten per million or less. 'Very low gluten' may be used only on those products which are manufactured using a special type of starch that has been treated to take out almost all of the gluten (products in this category will have a higher level of gluten in them of up to 100 parts per million).
• Whether it contains or consists of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or contains ingredients produced from GMOs. However, you do not have to label foods with GM labelling if the food contains an accidental presence of GM material from sources authorised for use in the EU of 0.9 per cent or less.
• Whether it has or contains ingredients that have been irradiated.
• Instructions for use or cooking - these should be included whenever the consumer needs them in order to use the product as intended.
• The general labelling rules also outline requirements that labels on all food are indelible, clear and easy to read, as well as being easily understood by consumers.

Rules for specific foods

As well as wine and spirits, specific labelling rules apply to these other foods, for example:

• bread and flour
• cocoa and chocolate
• instant coffee
• evaporated and dried milk
• fruit juice
• honey
• infant formula
• jam
• meat products: sausages, burgers and pies
• natural mineral waters
• fish
• spreadable fats
• sugar
• food for specific groups/specific medical purposes (FSMPs), such as infant formula, baby foods, foods suitable for coeliacs (eg gluten-free and very low gluten)

See labelling law for specific food products.

QUID rules

QUID rules refer to Quantitative Ingredient Declarations - the labelling requirement to indicate the quantities of principal or main ingredients for food products sold in the EU. Declarations are required for:

• Ingredients that form part of the name of the food, or that are usually associated with the food by consumers. For example, a product called 'steak and kidney pie' would need to indicate how much steak and kidney was in the product, while a 'fish pie' would need to indicate how much fish was included.
• Ingredients that are emphasised on the labelling, whether in words or with pictures. For example, a product label that stated 'made with real cream' would require a QUID declaration for the cream.
• Some products of animal origin, including meat content for meat products sold loose and not pre-packed (such as butcher's sausages). For example, pork sausages would require a QUID declaration of the percentage of pork content.

You do not need a QUID declaration if the quantity of the ingredient has to be listed anyway under EU legislation, or if the ingredient is used in a small quantity, for example as a flavouring. For example, 'garlic bread' does not need to state the quantity of garlic.

QUID declarations are given as percentages, rounded to the nearest whole number, or to the nearest 0.5 if the proportion is below 5 per cent. The percentage is calculated by dividing the weight of the ingredient by the weight of all the ingredients included in the product. As far as possible, the declaration should reflect the amount of the ingredient at the time the food is prepared by the purchaser of the product.

The declaration should appear either next to the name of the food product, or in the list of ingredients at the relevant point.

Mandatory nutrition declarations

Mandatory nutrition declarations (back of pack labelling) apply to most prepacked foods. This means that if you sell prepacked foods then you must provide nutrition information on the package or label. This relates to the mandatory nutrition panel on food packaging, which requires:

• the energy value (displayed as kJ/kcal)
• amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt provided per 100g or per 100ml.

Organic products have specific marking rules. 

European Community general marketing standard require most fruit and vegetables to be labelled with their country of origin. European Community specific marketing standards requires the following products to be labelled with country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and in some instances size/count and variety:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Specific EC marketing and labelling standards also apply to:

• canned sardines and tuna
• olive oil
• eggs in their shell
• foods with protected names, such as Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb and West Country Cheddar

Materials and articles in contact with food need to be marked 'Not suitable for food use' if they are not meant for human consumption. Find out more about food packaging safety regulations.

Food colouring warnings

If you are still using one or more of six food colourings being voluntarily phased out, you must, with a few exceptions, include a warning on products. In addition to the standard required information, labels must also have a warning using the following wording: 'the name or E number of the colour(s)' may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children'. The colours are:

• sunset yellow (E 110)
• quinoline yellow (E 104)
• carmoisine (E 122)
• allura red (E 129)
• tartrazine (E 102)
• ponceau 4R (E 124)

Read about the rules regarding food additives.

Although weight is not part of food labelling law, most food labels are required to indicate the weight of the product inside the package. Restrictions limiting the range of sizes that all pre-packaged goods could be packed in (with the exception of wines and spirits) no longer apply. Although goods can now be packed in any size, producers may choose to continue using traditional standard pack sizes.

Food claims

There are several regulations covering food claims:

• All claims made such as 'low fat' and 'helps maintain supple joints', must comply with European Commission (EC) Regulation No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims rules and be supported by scientific evidence. Claims must be on a permitted list and the product must meet set criteria. The Regulation also makes prescribed nutrition labelling compulsory on any product for which claims are made.
• You cannot claim food is 'healthy' or 'good for you' unless you can support it with approved evidence. If you add nutrition labelling you must use the prescribed format.
• Fortified food needs to comply with specific labelling requirements for foods with added vitamins or minerals.
• Fibre has specific definitions with which you must comply.
• Energy conversion factors apply when food manufacturers calculate values of fibre and erythritol (sweetener) for their products' energy declarations.
• There is legislation on the addition of vitamins and minerals and certain other substances to food. There are classifications for classifying herbal medicines, supplements, tonics for import and export.
• Claims for foods for specific groups and those with a specific nutritional function, including infant formula, follow-on formula and baby foods - must comply with special regulations.
• Medicinal claims for food are illegal - you must not claim that food can treat, prevent or cure any disease or medical condition.

Find out more about the requirements around nutritional and health claims.

Raw milk

Containers of raw milk should be marked 'This milk has not been heat-treated and may therefore contain organisms harmful to health'. Foods that consist of skimmed milk together with non-milk fat, or that can be used as milk substitutes, but are not intended for infants, should be prominently marked with a warning that they are not suitable for babies.

Misleading information

There are laws that indicate that food labelling should not mislead people about any aspect of a food product. This includes making false claims about its properties or suggesting that it has special characteristics when, in fact, all similar foods have those characteristics.

Fruit and vegetables

For fresh fruit and vegetables specific EC marketing and labelling standards now cover only these products:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly- and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Labelling required includes country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and for some products a size/count and/or a variety/type.

Many other fresh fruit and vegetables are covered by the EC general marketing standard and require country of origin labelling.

Format and placing of labelling information

Mandatory food information must be marked in a conspicuous place in such a way as to be easily visible, clearly legible and, where appropriate, indelible. It must not in any way be hidden, obscured, detracted from or interrupted by any other written or pictorial matter or any other intervening material. Voluntary food information must not be displayed to the detriment of the space available for mandatory food information.

This information must be printed on the package or label legibly, in characters using a font size where the x-height is equal to or greater than 1.2mm.

In the case of packaging or containers, the largest surface of which has an area of less than 80cm2, the x-height of the font size must be equal to or greater than 0.9mm.

If food products are sold or transported in outer packaging, it should include the name of the food, its durability indication, storage conditions and details of the food business operator.

Labelling standards outside the EU

If you are exporting food outside the EU and intend to make it available for sale, you can contact the country's embassy (specifically the Commercial Attaché) in the UK for help with checking if there are export restrictions, and any special labelling or packaging requirements. There are restrictions on food exports to the USA. Traders must register with the US Food and Drug Administration and must operate through a US-registered agent.

Rules of origin for imported and exported goods are used to determine the national or territorial provenance of goods for trade purposes.

Traders must comply with extra food labelling systems, health marks and Quantitative Ingredient Declarations (QUIDs) for goods that will be consumed in NI and the European Union (EU).

Health marks are applied to red meat carcasses and wholesale cuts to show that they are fit for human consumption. They are also an important way to ensure that meat products are traceable, so that if a food safety emergency occurs, problems can be quickly traced and, if necessary, foods withdrawn from the market. The health mark indicates that red meat carcasses and wholesale cuts have been subject to pre- and post-mortem inspection and are fit for human consumption at the time of inspection.

The health mark itself is an oval mark at least 6.5 centimetres by 4.5 centimetres high, and lists the following information in clearly legible type:

• the country in which the establishment that prepared the meat (slaughterhouse) is located
• the approval number of the slaughterhouse

The health mark may also include an indication of the official veterinarian who carried out the health inspection of the meat.

Other meat products that do not require a health mark are given an identification mark or 'ID mark' indicating their origin. The identification mark, applied by the food business operator, indicates that white meat, all cut meat and processed meat has been produced in accordance with the legal requirements. It should include the country of origin, the name of the establishment where the product was made and its approval number. Unlike health marks, ID marks do not indicate that any health inspection has been carried out.

Products of animal origin cannot be sold in Northern Ireland or the EU without either a health mark or an identification mark.

Health and identification marks

The Food Standards Agency has produced guidance on the health and identification marks that must be applied to food products of animal origin (POAO) - such as meat, egg products, fish, cheese and milk. Read about the use of health and identification marks on GB, NI, EU and non-EU markets.

Marketing standards are enforced by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

General marketing standards require most fruit and vegetables to be labelled with their country of origin. The standard requires produce to be intact, clean, sufficiently mature, free from rot and free from pests and pest damage. However, several common products are not covered by the general marketing standard.

They include:

• potatoes
• coconuts
• sugarcane
• sweetcorn
• wild mushrooms
• chilli peppers
• capers
• Brazil nuts
• bitter or shelled almonds
• shelled hazelnuts and walnuts
• olives
• pine nuts
• bananas
• saffron
• ginger
• peanuts
• sweet potatoes and yams

Specific marketing standards cover these products:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly- and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Labelling required includes country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and for some products a size/count and/or a variety/type.

If you import or export any of the fruit and vegetables listed above with specific marketing standards into or from Northern Ireland from or to any country outside of the European Union (EU) for selling fresh, you will require a Certificate of Conformity before your goods can be released into or from free circulation within the EU.

You do not require a certificate if the goods are to be used for processing, or for most other fruit, vegetables, nuts and herbs.

Traders in England and Wales must obtain a Certificate of Conformity through a Procedure for Electronic Application for Certificates (PEACH).

PEACH only applies to Scotland and Northern Ireland businesses whose imports arrive via either England or Wales. Importers from Northern Ireland should contact the DAERA Helpline on Tel 028 9052 4999 for further advice.

The packaging you choose for your food goods must provide enough information for handlers to move your goods safely and hygienically. You must also make sure that basic standards for all packaging used for importing and exporting are met.

See how to label and package goods being shipped out of the UK .

Three types of packaging are used for food:

• Transport or export packaging is the outermost layer, which protects the product during transit.
• Outer packaging is an intermediate layer, for example a box containing several bags, tins or pouches of product, which is sometimes used to display goods in a retail environment.
• Sales packaging is the immediate layer of packaging around the goods.

Packaging materials

There are a number of requirements that cover packaging for foods and other materials. As well as dealing with packaging in direct contact with food, the rules cover packaging capable of affecting food through the migration of its constituents into the food. Key rules include:

• Aluminium is considered safe for food contact, although it may not be suitable for highly acidic foods such as tomatoes and soft fruits.
• Plastics are subject to an overall migration limit of 10 milligrams per square decimetre of plastic surface area or per kilogram of food. There are also many specific migration limits that apply to individual substances contained in the regulations, whether they are plastics monomers or plastics additives that are used to achieve a particular technical effect. There are also rules about the use of declarations of legal compliance that apply to packaging moving up and down the supply chain. See more on plastics in food packaging.
• Other specific rules apply to regenerated cellulose film, ceramics, plasticisers in seals for food containers, certain epoxy derivatives used in coatings, adhesives and plastics when used in contact with food.
• Rules apply to contamination from chemicals, including mycotoxin (mould-related) contamination (in, for example, cereals and dried fruit) and radiological contamination from the use of pesticides and animal medicines, as well as nitrates from green, leafy vegetables.

The overriding rule is that any packaging materials must not allow their constituents to migrate into the food in amounts that could harm human health or affect the nature or quality of the food. For those that manufacture or convert packaging materials into particular food packaging, there are also rules about documenting good manufacturing practice.

Packaging that meets the requirements for food contact is labelled 'for food contact' and may also bear a specific symbol resembling a wine glass and a fork.

Read more about food packaging.

New types of packaging material that actively maintain or improve the condition of food, as opposed to simply containing it, are now available. Other materials, known as 'intelligent packaging', monitor the condition of the food. These active packaging materials must comply with regulations on food additives. The 'intelligent' packaging technologies should not be used to disguise problems such as spoilage. Information should be given on the package to help consumers use them safely.

Products of Animal Origin (POAO) are subject to extra packaging rules. You must ensure that your products have an identification mark applied before they go into transit. Depending on the product, you can apply the mark to:

• the wrapping
• the packaging
• a label affixed to the product, the wrapping or the packaging

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has further information on the legal requirements with which food packaging must comply. Read the FSA's guidance on food contact materials.

You are responsible for ensuring that all food products are fit for human consumption and not harmful to human or animal health. You can read more about food hygiene and trade in food hygiene and the law. The following checklist will help you ensure that any food products you plan to import into Northern Ireland meet the required standards.

• Do you have the names, addresses and other contact details of your suppliers?
• Have you ensured that food handling and hygiene procedures at the place of origin comply with EU standards? See import conditions.
• Do your products comply with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system?
• Can you ensure traceability of your products in the event of any problems? Is there a robust audit trail documenting the movement and handling of your goods?
• If you are importing products of animal origin (POAOs) from outside the EU, do they have a health certificate, and are they from an approved establishment in an approved country?
• Do you need to have any food samples tested, chemically or microbiologically, to make sure they comply with food safety requirements? This is a legal requirement for certain high risk products and it can provide reassurance that it is safe to import other specific food products.
• Is your chosen outer packaging robust enough to protect your food products against damage, contamination and other problems for the full length of their transit journey?
• Does your outer packaging carry all the information necessary to identify your goods, including the name and address of the supplier, the nature of the consignment and the country of origin?
• Does the manufacturer or freight forwarder transporting your goods comply with food handling and safety procedures? For instance, you may want to check that they are not over-fumigating the goods or that refrigerated vehicles keep food at the right temperature. see food safety and pesticides.
• Does the information given on the sales packaging comply with the relevant EU legislation? Does it include an ingredients list and, where applicable, additional information such as Quantitative Ingredient Declarations (QUIDs) and best-before or use-by dates and/or warning information? You can have this checked by a public analyst to ensure that it complies.
• Does your type of food require any extra checks? See the FSA guidance on imports and exports.
• Do you need an import licence? Some foods are banned, restricted or subject to quota. Such licences in the UK are issued by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). See import and export Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) goods.
• Have you allowed for paying import duty and VAT, as well as CAP levies and tariff quotas for your goods on entry into Northern Ireland? 

The government organisation with primary responsibility for developing policy and producing guidance on labelling and packaging is the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Find information on labelling and packaging.

You can also find information on classifying edible fruits, nuts and peel for import and export.

The FSA Food Alerts service gives information on problems associated with food, along with details of action to be taken. Food Alerts often cover the withdrawal of food products because of problems such as contamination, faulty packaging or incorrect labelling. 

If you have a trading query, you can contact the FSA at Email: helpline@food.gov.uk or Tel: 020 7276 8829.

Trade associations based in the UK can provide help and support to importers of specific food products.

Responsibility for enforcement is shared between central and local government bodies. Traders should be aware that failing to comply with labelling and packaging requirements is an offence. The FSA works through local authorities and port health authorities. In Northern Ireland, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has certain enforcement responsibilities.

Government organisations in third countries may be able to help you with importing, health certificates and other international trade issues:

• In the US, food safety is overseen by the Food Safety and Inspection Service - the Food and Drug Administration focuses on consumer health issues relating to food
• Food Standards Australia and New Zealand works as the food-safety equivalent agency of the UK's FSA in Australia and New Zealand.
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is the food-safety equivalent agency of the FSA in Canada.

Food labelling requirements are set out by law. Food destined for Northern Ireland (NI) must comply with national regulations as well as the European Union (EU) regulations that apply to general and product-specific labelling. In NI, local councils enforce both national and international rules.

Goods imported into Northern Ireland from outside the EU may be checked by the local council. Certain products are subject to specific checks at import. 

Once your goods are on sale in shops or supermarkets, environmental health or trading standards officers are also likely to check them. If your imported products are in breach of labelling and packaging requirements, they may take action against you.

While the list below is compulsory for most imported foods, many types of food have extra requirements. For instance, traders must comply with the extra food labelling systems, such as health marks for meat.

Traders must also check additional requirements for their type of goods.

General labelling standards for NI and EU

Food labelling requirements for NI and EU fall under the EU Food Information to Consumers Regulation. Food sold to consumers or used in catering establishments must be marked with the following information:

• The name of the food. The law prescribes certain 'legal names', which must be used according to regulations, such as 'burger', 'sausage', 'jam', 'butter' and others. Otherwise, you may use a customary name, or one that consumers generally accept, such as 'Bakewell tart'. If no legal or customary name exists, you can use a descriptive name that clearly explains what the product is. Consideration must be given to any additional mandatory particulars which must accompany the name of the food, for example an indication of physical condition ie 'quick frozen', 'freeze dried', 'concentrated' and 'smoked'. You can find more details in Food Standards Agency's (FSA) guidance on the Food information Regulations 2014.
• A list of ingredients, usually in descending order of their weight at the time they were used to prepare the product. Ingredients should be listed using the same name as if they were sold as foods themselves. There are special rules for flavourings and functional additives such as preservatives and colours. Some foods, such as unprepared fresh fruit and vegetables, do not need to be listed as ingredients.
• The quantity of certain ingredients or categories of ingredients, usually the main ones or those used in the name. See below for details of the Quantitative Ingredient Declaration (QUID) rules that state the requirement to indicate the quantities of the main or key ingredients on the labels of food products sold in NI and the EU.
• The appropriate durability indication - the 'use by' date for highly perishable foods and the 'best before' date for other foods. 'Use by' dates are given in either day/month or day/month/year formats and indicate the date until which the food, if properly stored, is recommended for use. 'Best before' dates indicate the date until which the food will keep its properties if properly stored. Either give the date directly or indicate where it can be found, for example - 'Best before: see date on lid'. Some products, including fresh fruit and vegetables, and alcoholic drinks with an alcohol by volume (abv) strength above 10 per cent do not need to be labelled with a durability indication.
• Any special storage conditions and/or conditions of use. Special storage conditions might include, for example, 'store in a cool dry place', 'keep refrigerated', 'once opened, keep refrigerated and consume within 3 days'. Conditions of use might include, for example, 'not suitable for frying' or 'shake well before use'. The label should also indicate whether the food is suitable for home freezing and give instructions where required, such as 'freeze on day of purchase'.
• The name or business name and address of the food business operator.
• The place or country of origin (if failure to provide it might mislead the purchaser). Country of origin rules already exist in specific EU legislation for products such as pork, honey and fish.
• Additional requirements where applicable, including the abv of alcoholic drinks, an indication that packaging gases have been used (eg 'packaged in a protective atmosphere'), a warning of high caffeine content, labelling of sweeteners and glycyrrhizinic acid (a flavouring that masks bitterness) as well as lot or batch marking and weights and measures.
• Whether the food contains any of the following allergens - cereals containing gluten (including wheat, rye, barley and oats), crustaceans, molluscs, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, lupin, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, or sulphur dioxide and sulphites at more than 10 milligrams per kilogram or 10 milligrams per litre. The rules state that the allergen information must be emphasised in the ingredients list where one is used.
• Indication if the food is specially prepared for people with gluten intolerance. The claims 'gluten free' or 'very low gluten' have very specific meanings and can be used only on certain foods. 'Gluten free' means that the product contains 20 parts of gluten per million or less. 'Very low gluten' may be used only on those products which are manufactured using a special type of starch that has been treated to take out almost all of the gluten (products in this category will have a higher level of gluten in them of up to 100 parts per million).
• Whether it contains or consists of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or contains ingredients produced from GMOs. However, you do not have to label foods with GM labelling if the food contains an accidental presence of GM material from sources authorised for use in the EU of 0.9 per cent or less.
• Whether it has or contains ingredients that have been irradiated.
• Instructions for use or cooking - these should be included whenever the consumer needs them in order to use the product as intended.
• The general labelling rules also outline requirements that labels on all food are indelible, clear and easy to read, as well as being easily understood by consumers.

Rules for specific foods

As well as wine and spirits, specific labelling rules apply to these other foods, for example:

• bread and flour
• cocoa and chocolate
• instant coffee
• evaporated and dried milk
• fruit juice
• honey
• infant formula
• jam
• meat products: sausages, burgers and pies
• natural mineral waters
• fish
• spreadable fats
• sugar
• food for specific groups/specific medical purposes (FSMPs), such as infant formula, baby foods, foods suitable for coeliacs (eg gluten-free and very low gluten)

See labelling law for specific food products.

QUID rules

QUID rules refer to Quantitative Ingredient Declarations - the labelling requirement to indicate the quantities of principal or main ingredients for food products sold in the EU. Declarations are required for:

• Ingredients that form part of the name of the food, or that are usually associated with the food by consumers. For example, a product called 'steak and kidney pie' would need to indicate how much steak and kidney was in the product, while a 'fish pie' would need to indicate how much fish was included.
• Ingredients that are emphasised on the labelling, whether in words or with pictures. For example, a product label that stated 'made with real cream' would require a QUID declaration for the cream.
• Some products of animal origin, including meat content for meat products sold loose and not pre-packed (such as butcher's sausages). For example, pork sausages would require a QUID declaration of the percentage of pork content.

You do not need a QUID declaration if the quantity of the ingredient has to be listed anyway under EU legislation, or if the ingredient is used in a small quantity, for example as a flavouring. For example, 'garlic bread' does not need to state the quantity of garlic.

QUID declarations are given as percentages, rounded to the nearest whole number, or to the nearest 0.5 if the proportion is below 5 per cent. The percentage is calculated by dividing the weight of the ingredient by the weight of all the ingredients included in the product. As far as possible, the declaration should reflect the amount of the ingredient at the time the food is prepared by the purchaser of the product.

The declaration should appear either next to the name of the food product, or in the list of ingredients at the relevant point.

Mandatory nutrition declarations

Mandatory nutrition declarations (back of pack labelling) apply to most prepacked foods. This means that if you sell prepacked foods then you must provide nutrition information on the package or label. This relates to the mandatory nutrition panel on food packaging, which requires:

• the energy value (displayed as kJ/kcal)
• amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt provided per 100g or per 100ml.

Organic products have specific marking rules. 

European Community general marketing standard require most fruit and vegetables to be labelled with their country of origin. European Community specific marketing standards requires the following products to be labelled with country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and in some instances size/count and variety:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Specific EC marketing and labelling standards also apply to:

• canned sardines and tuna
• olive oil
• eggs in their shell
• foods with protected names, such as Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb and West Country Cheddar

Materials and articles in contact with food need to be marked 'Not suitable for food use' if they are not meant for human consumption. Find out more about food packaging safety regulations.

Food colouring warnings

If you are still using one or more of six food colourings being voluntarily phased out, you must, with a few exceptions, include a warning on products. In addition to the standard required information, labels must also have a warning using the following wording: 'the name or E number of the colour(s)' may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children'. The colours are:

• sunset yellow (E 110)
• quinoline yellow (E 104)
• carmoisine (E 122)
• allura red (E 129)
• tartrazine (E 102)
• ponceau 4R (E 124)

Read about the rules regarding food additives.

Although weight is not part of food labelling law, most food labels are required to indicate the weight of the product inside the package. Restrictions limiting the range of sizes that all pre-packaged goods could be packed in (with the exception of wines and spirits) no longer apply. Although goods can now be packed in any size, producers may choose to continue using traditional standard pack sizes.

Food claims

There are several regulations covering food claims:

• All claims made such as 'low fat' and 'helps maintain supple joints', must comply with European Commission (EC) Regulation No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims rules and be supported by scientific evidence. Claims must be on a permitted list and the product must meet set criteria. The Regulation also makes prescribed nutrition labelling compulsory on any product for which claims are made.
• You cannot claim food is 'healthy' or 'good for you' unless you can support it with approved evidence. If you add nutrition labelling you must use the prescribed format.
• Fortified food needs to comply with specific labelling requirements for foods with added vitamins or minerals.
• Fibre has specific definitions with which you must comply.
• Energy conversion factors apply when food manufacturers calculate values of fibre and erythritol (sweetener) for their products' energy declarations.
• There is legislation on the addition of vitamins and minerals and certain other substances to food. There are classifications for classifying herbal medicines, supplements, tonics for import and export.
• Claims for foods for specific groups and those with a specific nutritional function, including infant formula, follow-on formula and baby foods - must comply with special regulations.
• Medicinal claims for food are illegal - you must not claim that food can treat, prevent or cure any disease or medical condition.

Find out more about the requirements around nutritional and health claims.

Raw milk

Containers of raw milk should be marked 'This milk has not been heat-treated and may therefore contain organisms harmful to health'. Foods that consist of skimmed milk together with non-milk fat, or that can be used as milk substitutes, but are not intended for infants, should be prominently marked with a warning that they are not suitable for babies.

Misleading information

There are laws that indicate that food labelling should not mislead people about any aspect of a food product. This includes making false claims about its properties or suggesting that it has special characteristics when, in fact, all similar foods have those characteristics.

Fruit and vegetables

For fresh fruit and vegetables specific EC marketing and labelling standards now cover only these products:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly- and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Labelling required includes country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and for some products a size/count and/or a variety/type.

Many other fresh fruit and vegetables are covered by the EC general marketing standard and require country of origin labelling.

Format and placing of labelling information

Mandatory food information must be marked in a conspicuous place in such a way as to be easily visible, clearly legible and, where appropriate, indelible. It must not in any way be hidden, obscured, detracted from or interrupted by any other written or pictorial matter or any other intervening material. Voluntary food information must not be displayed to the detriment of the space available for mandatory food information.

This information must be printed on the package or label legibly, in characters using a font size where the x-height is equal to or greater than 1.2mm.

In the case of packaging or containers, the largest surface of which has an area of less than 80cm2, the x-height of the font size must be equal to or greater than 0.9mm.

If food products are sold or transported in outer packaging, it should include the name of the food, its durability indication, storage conditions and details of the food business operator.

Labelling standards outside the EU

If you are exporting food outside the EU and intend to make it available for sale, you can contact the country's embassy (specifically the Commercial Attaché) in the UK for help with checking if there are export restrictions, and any special labelling or packaging requirements. There are restrictions on food exports to the USA. Traders must register with the US Food and Drug Administration and must operate through a US-registered agent.

Rules of origin for imported and exported goods are used to determine the national or territorial provenance of goods for trade purposes.

Traders must comply with extra food labelling systems, health marks and Quantitative Ingredient Declarations (QUIDs) for goods that will be consumed in NI and the European Union (EU).

Health marks are applied to red meat carcasses and wholesale cuts to show that they are fit for human consumption. They are also an important way to ensure that meat products are traceable, so that if a food safety emergency occurs, problems can be quickly traced and, if necessary, foods withdrawn from the market. The health mark indicates that red meat carcasses and wholesale cuts have been subject to pre- and post-mortem inspection and are fit for human consumption at the time of inspection.

The health mark itself is an oval mark at least 6.5 centimetres by 4.5 centimetres high, and lists the following information in clearly legible type:

• the country in which the establishment that prepared the meat (slaughterhouse) is located
• the approval number of the slaughterhouse

The health mark may also include an indication of the official veterinarian who carried out the health inspection of the meat.

Other meat products that do not require a health mark are given an identification mark or 'ID mark' indicating their origin. The identification mark, applied by the food business operator, indicates that white meat, all cut meat and processed meat has been produced in accordance with the legal requirements. It should include the country of origin, the name of the establishment where the product was made and its approval number. Unlike health marks, ID marks do not indicate that any health inspection has been carried out.

Products of animal origin cannot be sold in Northern Ireland or the EU without either a health mark or an identification mark.

Health and identification marks

The Food Standards Agency has produced guidance on the health and identification marks that must be applied to food products of animal origin (POAO) - such as meat, egg products, fish, cheese and milk. Read about the use of health and identification marks on GB, NI, EU and non-EU markets.

Marketing standards are enforced by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

General marketing standards require most fruit and vegetables to be labelled with their country of origin. The standard requires produce to be intact, clean, sufficiently mature, free from rot and free from pests and pest damage. However, several common products are not covered by the general marketing standard.

They include:

• potatoes
• coconuts
• sugarcane
• sweetcorn
• wild mushrooms
• chilli peppers
• capers
• Brazil nuts
• bitter or shelled almonds
• shelled hazelnuts and walnuts
• olives
• pine nuts
• bananas
• saffron
• ginger
• peanuts
• sweet potatoes and yams

Specific marketing standards cover these products:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly- and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Labelling required includes country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and for some products a size/count and/or a variety/type.

If you import or export any of the fruit and vegetables listed above with specific marketing standards into or from Northern Ireland from or to any country outside of the European Union (EU) for selling fresh, you will require a Certificate of Conformity before your goods can be released into or from free circulation within the EU.

You do not require a certificate if the goods are to be used for processing, or for most other fruit, vegetables, nuts and herbs.

Traders in England and Wales must obtain a Certificate of Conformity through a Procedure for Electronic Application for Certificates (PEACH).

PEACH only applies to Scotland and Northern Ireland businesses whose imports arrive via either England or Wales. Importers from Northern Ireland should contact the DAERA Helpline on Tel 028 9052 4999 for further advice.

The packaging you choose for your food goods must provide enough information for handlers to move your goods safely and hygienically. You must also make sure that basic standards for all packaging used for importing and exporting are met.

See how to label and package goods being shipped out of the UK .

Three types of packaging are used for food:

• Transport or export packaging is the outermost layer, which protects the product during transit.
• Outer packaging is an intermediate layer, for example a box containing several bags, tins or pouches of product, which is sometimes used to display goods in a retail environment.
• Sales packaging is the immediate layer of packaging around the goods.

Packaging materials

There are a number of requirements that cover packaging for foods and other materials. As well as dealing with packaging in direct contact with food, the rules cover packaging capable of affecting food through the migration of its constituents into the food. Key rules include:

• Aluminium is considered safe for food contact, although it may not be suitable for highly acidic foods such as tomatoes and soft fruits.
• Plastics are subject to an overall migration limit of 10 milligrams per square decimetre of plastic surface area or per kilogram of food. There are also many specific migration limits that apply to individual substances contained in the regulations, whether they are plastics monomers or plastics additives that are used to achieve a particular technical effect. There are also rules about the use of declarations of legal compliance that apply to packaging moving up and down the supply chain. See more on plastics in food packaging.
• Other specific rules apply to regenerated cellulose film, ceramics, plasticisers in seals for food containers, certain epoxy derivatives used in coatings, adhesives and plastics when used in contact with food.
• Rules apply to contamination from chemicals, including mycotoxin (mould-related) contamination (in, for example, cereals and dried fruit) and radiological contamination from the use of pesticides and animal medicines, as well as nitrates from green, leafy vegetables.

The overriding rule is that any packaging materials must not allow their constituents to migrate into the food in amounts that could harm human health or affect the nature or quality of the food. For those that manufacture or convert packaging materials into particular food packaging, there are also rules about documenting good manufacturing practice.

Packaging that meets the requirements for food contact is labelled 'for food contact' and may also bear a specific symbol resembling a wine glass and a fork.

Read more about food packaging.

New types of packaging material that actively maintain or improve the condition of food, as opposed to simply containing it, are now available. Other materials, known as 'intelligent packaging', monitor the condition of the food. These active packaging materials must comply with regulations on food additives. The 'intelligent' packaging technologies should not be used to disguise problems such as spoilage. Information should be given on the package to help consumers use them safely.

Products of Animal Origin (POAO) are subject to extra packaging rules. You must ensure that your products have an identification mark applied before they go into transit. Depending on the product, you can apply the mark to:

• the wrapping
• the packaging
• a label affixed to the product, the wrapping or the packaging

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has further information on the legal requirements with which food packaging must comply. Read the FSA's guidance on food contact materials.

You are responsible for ensuring that all food products are fit for human consumption and not harmful to human or animal health. You can read more about food hygiene and trade in food hygiene and the law. The following checklist will help you ensure that any food products you plan to import into Northern Ireland meet the required standards.

• Do you have the names, addresses and other contact details of your suppliers?
• Have you ensured that food handling and hygiene procedures at the place of origin comply with EU standards? See import conditions.
• Do your products comply with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system?
• Can you ensure traceability of your products in the event of any problems? Is there a robust audit trail documenting the movement and handling of your goods?
• If you are importing products of animal origin (POAOs) from outside the EU, do they have a health certificate, and are they from an approved establishment in an approved country?
• Do you need to have any food samples tested, chemically or microbiologically, to make sure they comply with food safety requirements? This is a legal requirement for certain high risk products and it can provide reassurance that it is safe to import other specific food products.
• Is your chosen outer packaging robust enough to protect your food products against damage, contamination and other problems for the full length of their transit journey?
• Does your outer packaging carry all the information necessary to identify your goods, including the name and address of the supplier, the nature of the consignment and the country of origin?
• Does the manufacturer or freight forwarder transporting your goods comply with food handling and safety procedures? For instance, you may want to check that they are not over-fumigating the goods or that refrigerated vehicles keep food at the right temperature. see food safety and pesticides.
• Does the information given on the sales packaging comply with the relevant EU legislation? Does it include an ingredients list and, where applicable, additional information such as Quantitative Ingredient Declarations (QUIDs) and best-before or use-by dates and/or warning information? You can have this checked by a public analyst to ensure that it complies.
• Does your type of food require any extra checks? See the FSA guidance on imports and exports.
• Do you need an import licence? Some foods are banned, restricted or subject to quota. Such licences in the UK are issued by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). See import and export Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) goods.
• Have you allowed for paying import duty and VAT, as well as CAP levies and tariff quotas for your goods on entry into Northern Ireland? 

The government organisation with primary responsibility for developing policy and producing guidance on labelling and packaging is the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Find information on labelling and packaging.

You can also find information on classifying edible fruits, nuts and peel for import and export.

The FSA Food Alerts service gives information on problems associated with food, along with details of action to be taken. Food Alerts often cover the withdrawal of food products because of problems such as contamination, faulty packaging or incorrect labelling. 

If you have a trading query, you can contact the FSA at Email: helpline@food.gov.uk or Tel: 020 7276 8829.

Trade associations based in the UK can provide help and support to importers of specific food products.

Responsibility for enforcement is shared between central and local government bodies. Traders should be aware that failing to comply with labelling and packaging requirements is an offence. The FSA works through local authorities and port health authorities. In Northern Ireland, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has certain enforcement responsibilities.

Government organisations in third countries may be able to help you with importing, health certificates and other international trade issues:

• In the US, food safety is overseen by the Food Safety and Inspection Service - the Food and Drug Administration focuses on consumer health issues relating to food
• Food Standards Australia and New Zealand works as the food-safety equivalent agency of the UK's FSA in Australia and New Zealand.
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is the food-safety equivalent agency of the FSA in Canada.

Food labelling requirements are set out by law. Food destined for Northern Ireland (NI) must comply with national regulations as well as the European Union (EU) regulations that apply to general and product-specific labelling. In NI, local councils enforce both national and international rules.

Goods imported into Northern Ireland from outside the EU may be checked by the local council. Certain products are subject to specific checks at import. 

Once your goods are on sale in shops or supermarkets, environmental health or trading standards officers are also likely to check them. If your imported products are in breach of labelling and packaging requirements, they may take action against you.

While the list below is compulsory for most imported foods, many types of food have extra requirements. For instance, traders must comply with the extra food labelling systems, such as health marks for meat.

Traders must also check additional requirements for their type of goods.

General labelling standards for NI and EU

Food labelling requirements for NI and EU fall under the EU Food Information to Consumers Regulation. Food sold to consumers or used in catering establishments must be marked with the following information:

• The name of the food. The law prescribes certain 'legal names', which must be used according to regulations, such as 'burger', 'sausage', 'jam', 'butter' and others. Otherwise, you may use a customary name, or one that consumers generally accept, such as 'Bakewell tart'. If no legal or customary name exists, you can use a descriptive name that clearly explains what the product is. Consideration must be given to any additional mandatory particulars which must accompany the name of the food, for example an indication of physical condition ie 'quick frozen', 'freeze dried', 'concentrated' and 'smoked'. You can find more details in Food Standards Agency's (FSA) guidance on the Food information Regulations 2014.
• A list of ingredients, usually in descending order of their weight at the time they were used to prepare the product. Ingredients should be listed using the same name as if they were sold as foods themselves. There are special rules for flavourings and functional additives such as preservatives and colours. Some foods, such as unprepared fresh fruit and vegetables, do not need to be listed as ingredients.
• The quantity of certain ingredients or categories of ingredients, usually the main ones or those used in the name. See below for details of the Quantitative Ingredient Declaration (QUID) rules that state the requirement to indicate the quantities of the main or key ingredients on the labels of food products sold in NI and the EU.
• The appropriate durability indication - the 'use by' date for highly perishable foods and the 'best before' date for other foods. 'Use by' dates are given in either day/month or day/month/year formats and indicate the date until which the food, if properly stored, is recommended for use. 'Best before' dates indicate the date until which the food will keep its properties if properly stored. Either give the date directly or indicate where it can be found, for example - 'Best before: see date on lid'. Some products, including fresh fruit and vegetables, and alcoholic drinks with an alcohol by volume (abv) strength above 10 per cent do not need to be labelled with a durability indication.
• Any special storage conditions and/or conditions of use. Special storage conditions might include, for example, 'store in a cool dry place', 'keep refrigerated', 'once opened, keep refrigerated and consume within 3 days'. Conditions of use might include, for example, 'not suitable for frying' or 'shake well before use'. The label should also indicate whether the food is suitable for home freezing and give instructions where required, such as 'freeze on day of purchase'.
• The name or business name and address of the food business operator.
• The place or country of origin (if failure to provide it might mislead the purchaser). Country of origin rules already exist in specific EU legislation for products such as pork, honey and fish.
• Additional requirements where applicable, including the abv of alcoholic drinks, an indication that packaging gases have been used (eg 'packaged in a protective atmosphere'), a warning of high caffeine content, labelling of sweeteners and glycyrrhizinic acid (a flavouring that masks bitterness) as well as lot or batch marking and weights and measures.
• Whether the food contains any of the following allergens - cereals containing gluten (including wheat, rye, barley and oats), crustaceans, molluscs, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, lupin, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, or sulphur dioxide and sulphites at more than 10 milligrams per kilogram or 10 milligrams per litre. The rules state that the allergen information must be emphasised in the ingredients list where one is used.
• Indication if the food is specially prepared for people with gluten intolerance. The claims 'gluten free' or 'very low gluten' have very specific meanings and can be used only on certain foods. 'Gluten free' means that the product contains 20 parts of gluten per million or less. 'Very low gluten' may be used only on those products which are manufactured using a special type of starch that has been treated to take out almost all of the gluten (products in this category will have a higher level of gluten in them of up to 100 parts per million).
• Whether it contains or consists of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or contains ingredients produced from GMOs. However, you do not have to label foods with GM labelling if the food contains an accidental presence of GM material from sources authorised for use in the EU of 0.9 per cent or less.
• Whether it has or contains ingredients that have been irradiated.
• Instructions for use or cooking - these should be included whenever the consumer needs them in order to use the product as intended.
• The general labelling rules also outline requirements that labels on all food are indelible, clear and easy to read, as well as being easily understood by consumers.

Rules for specific foods

As well as wine and spirits, specific labelling rules apply to these other foods, for example:

• bread and flour
• cocoa and chocolate
• instant coffee
• evaporated and dried milk
• fruit juice
• honey
• infant formula
• jam
• meat products: sausages, burgers and pies
• natural mineral waters
• fish
• spreadable fats
• sugar
• food for specific groups/specific medical purposes (FSMPs), such as infant formula, baby foods, foods suitable for coeliacs (eg gluten-free and very low gluten)

See labelling law for specific food products.

QUID rules

QUID rules refer to Quantitative Ingredient Declarations - the labelling requirement to indicate the quantities of principal or main ingredients for food products sold in the EU. Declarations are required for:

• Ingredients that form part of the name of the food, or that are usually associated with the food by consumers. For example, a product called 'steak and kidney pie' would need to indicate how much steak and kidney was in the product, while a 'fish pie' would need to indicate how much fish was included.
• Ingredients that are emphasised on the labelling, whether in words or with pictures. For example, a product label that stated 'made with real cream' would require a QUID declaration for the cream.
• Some products of animal origin, including meat content for meat products sold loose and not pre-packed (such as butcher's sausages). For example, pork sausages would require a QUID declaration of the percentage of pork content.

You do not need a QUID declaration if the quantity of the ingredient has to be listed anyway under EU legislation, or if the ingredient is used in a small quantity, for example as a flavouring. For example, 'garlic bread' does not need to state the quantity of garlic.

QUID declarations are given as percentages, rounded to the nearest whole number, or to the nearest 0.5 if the proportion is below 5 per cent. The percentage is calculated by dividing the weight of the ingredient by the weight of all the ingredients included in the product. As far as possible, the declaration should reflect the amount of the ingredient at the time the food is prepared by the purchaser of the product.

The declaration should appear either next to the name of the food product, or in the list of ingredients at the relevant point.

Mandatory nutrition declarations

Mandatory nutrition declarations (back of pack labelling) apply to most prepacked foods. This means that if you sell prepacked foods then you must provide nutrition information on the package or label. This relates to the mandatory nutrition panel on food packaging, which requires:

• the energy value (displayed as kJ/kcal)
• amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt provided per 100g or per 100ml.

Organic products have specific marking rules. 

European Community general marketing standard require most fruit and vegetables to be labelled with their country of origin. European Community specific marketing standards requires the following products to be labelled with country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and in some instances size/count and variety:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Specific EC marketing and labelling standards also apply to:

• canned sardines and tuna
• olive oil
• eggs in their shell
• foods with protected names, such as Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb and West Country Cheddar

Materials and articles in contact with food need to be marked 'Not suitable for food use' if they are not meant for human consumption. Find out more about food packaging safety regulations.

Food colouring warnings

If you are still using one or more of six food colourings being voluntarily phased out, you must, with a few exceptions, include a warning on products. In addition to the standard required information, labels must also have a warning using the following wording: 'the name or E number of the colour(s)' may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children'. The colours are:

• sunset yellow (E 110)
• quinoline yellow (E 104)
• carmoisine (E 122)
• allura red (E 129)
• tartrazine (E 102)
• ponceau 4R (E 124)

Read about the rules regarding food additives.

Although weight is not part of food labelling law, most food labels are required to indicate the weight of the product inside the package. Restrictions limiting the range of sizes that all pre-packaged goods could be packed in (with the exception of wines and spirits) no longer apply. Although goods can now be packed in any size, producers may choose to continue using traditional standard pack sizes.

Food claims

There are several regulations covering food claims:

• All claims made such as 'low fat' and 'helps maintain supple joints', must comply with European Commission (EC) Regulation No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims rules and be supported by scientific evidence. Claims must be on a permitted list and the product must meet set criteria. The Regulation also makes prescribed nutrition labelling compulsory on any product for which claims are made.
• You cannot claim food is 'healthy' or 'good for you' unless you can support it with approved evidence. If you add nutrition labelling you must use the prescribed format.
• Fortified food needs to comply with specific labelling requirements for foods with added vitamins or minerals.
• Fibre has specific definitions with which you must comply.
• Energy conversion factors apply when food manufacturers calculate values of fibre and erythritol (sweetener) for their products' energy declarations.
• There is legislation on the addition of vitamins and minerals and certain other substances to food. There are classifications for classifying herbal medicines, supplements, tonics for import and export.
• Claims for foods for specific groups and those with a specific nutritional function, including infant formula, follow-on formula and baby foods - must comply with special regulations.
• Medicinal claims for food are illegal - you must not claim that food can treat, prevent or cure any disease or medical condition.

Find out more about the requirements around nutritional and health claims.

Raw milk

Containers of raw milk should be marked 'This milk has not been heat-treated and may therefore contain organisms harmful to health'. Foods that consist of skimmed milk together with non-milk fat, or that can be used as milk substitutes, but are not intended for infants, should be prominently marked with a warning that they are not suitable for babies.

Misleading information

There are laws that indicate that food labelling should not mislead people about any aspect of a food product. This includes making false claims about its properties or suggesting that it has special characteristics when, in fact, all similar foods have those characteristics.

Fruit and vegetables

For fresh fruit and vegetables specific EC marketing and labelling standards now cover only these products:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly- and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Labelling required includes country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and for some products a size/count and/or a variety/type.

Many other fresh fruit and vegetables are covered by the EC general marketing standard and require country of origin labelling.

Format and placing of labelling information

Mandatory food information must be marked in a conspicuous place in such a way as to be easily visible, clearly legible and, where appropriate, indelible. It must not in any way be hidden, obscured, detracted from or interrupted by any other written or pictorial matter or any other intervening material. Voluntary food information must not be displayed to the detriment of the space available for mandatory food information.

This information must be printed on the package or label legibly, in characters using a font size where the x-height is equal to or greater than 1.2mm.

In the case of packaging or containers, the largest surface of which has an area of less than 80cm2, the x-height of the font size must be equal to or greater than 0.9mm.

If food products are sold or transported in outer packaging, it should include the name of the food, its durability indication, storage conditions and details of the food business operator.

Labelling standards outside the EU

If you are exporting food outside the EU and intend to make it available for sale, you can contact the country's embassy (specifically the Commercial Attaché) in the UK for help with checking if there are export restrictions, and any special labelling or packaging requirements. There are restrictions on food exports to the USA. Traders must register with the US Food and Drug Administration and must operate through a US-registered agent.

Rules of origin for imported and exported goods are used to determine the national or territorial provenance of goods for trade purposes.

Traders must comply with extra food labelling systems, health marks and Quantitative Ingredient Declarations (QUIDs) for goods that will be consumed in NI and the European Union (EU).

Health marks are applied to red meat carcasses and wholesale cuts to show that they are fit for human consumption. They are also an important way to ensure that meat products are traceable, so that if a food safety emergency occurs, problems can be quickly traced and, if necessary, foods withdrawn from the market. The health mark indicates that red meat carcasses and wholesale cuts have been subject to pre- and post-mortem inspection and are fit for human consumption at the time of inspection.

The health mark itself is an oval mark at least 6.5 centimetres by 4.5 centimetres high, and lists the following information in clearly legible type:

• the country in which the establishment that prepared the meat (slaughterhouse) is located
• the approval number of the slaughterhouse

The health mark may also include an indication of the official veterinarian who carried out the health inspection of the meat.

Other meat products that do not require a health mark are given an identification mark or 'ID mark' indicating their origin. The identification mark, applied by the food business operator, indicates that white meat, all cut meat and processed meat has been produced in accordance with the legal requirements. It should include the country of origin, the name of the establishment where the product was made and its approval number. Unlike health marks, ID marks do not indicate that any health inspection has been carried out.

Products of animal origin cannot be sold in Northern Ireland or the EU without either a health mark or an identification mark.

Health and identification marks

The Food Standards Agency has produced guidance on the health and identification marks that must be applied to food products of animal origin (POAO) - such as meat, egg products, fish, cheese and milk. Read about the use of health and identification marks on GB, NI, EU and non-EU markets.

Marketing standards are enforced by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

General marketing standards require most fruit and vegetables to be labelled with their country of origin. The standard requires produce to be intact, clean, sufficiently mature, free from rot and free from pests and pest damage. However, several common products are not covered by the general marketing standard.

They include:

• potatoes
• coconuts
• sugarcane
• sweetcorn
• wild mushrooms
• chilli peppers
• capers
• Brazil nuts
• bitter or shelled almonds
• shelled hazelnuts and walnuts
• olives
• pine nuts
• bananas
• saffron
• ginger
• peanuts
• sweet potatoes and yams

Specific marketing standards cover these products:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly- and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Labelling required includes country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and for some products a size/count and/or a variety/type.

If you import or export any of the fruit and vegetables listed above with specific marketing standards into or from Northern Ireland from or to any country outside of the European Union (EU) for selling fresh, you will require a Certificate of Conformity before your goods can be released into or from free circulation within the EU.

You do not require a certificate if the goods are to be used for processing, or for most other fruit, vegetables, nuts and herbs.

Traders in England and Wales must obtain a Certificate of Conformity through a Procedure for Electronic Application for Certificates (PEACH).

PEACH only applies to Scotland and Northern Ireland businesses whose imports arrive via either England or Wales. Importers from Northern Ireland should contact the DAERA Helpline on Tel 028 9052 4999 for further advice.

The packaging you choose for your food goods must provide enough information for handlers to move your goods safely and hygienically. You must also make sure that basic standards for all packaging used for importing and exporting are met.

See how to label and package goods being shipped out of the UK .

Three types of packaging are used for food:

• Transport or export packaging is the outermost layer, which protects the product during transit.
• Outer packaging is an intermediate layer, for example a box containing several bags, tins or pouches of product, which is sometimes used to display goods in a retail environment.
• Sales packaging is the immediate layer of packaging around the goods.

Packaging materials

There are a number of requirements that cover packaging for foods and other materials. As well as dealing with packaging in direct contact with food, the rules cover packaging capable of affecting food through the migration of its constituents into the food. Key rules include:

• Aluminium is considered safe for food contact, although it may not be suitable for highly acidic foods such as tomatoes and soft fruits.
• Plastics are subject to an overall migration limit of 10 milligrams per square decimetre of plastic surface area or per kilogram of food. There are also many specific migration limits that apply to individual substances contained in the regulations, whether they are plastics monomers or plastics additives that are used to achieve a particular technical effect. There are also rules about the use of declarations of legal compliance that apply to packaging moving up and down the supply chain. See more on plastics in food packaging.
• Other specific rules apply to regenerated cellulose film, ceramics, plasticisers in seals for food containers, certain epoxy derivatives used in coatings, adhesives and plastics when used in contact with food.
• Rules apply to contamination from chemicals, including mycotoxin (mould-related) contamination (in, for example, cereals and dried fruit) and radiological contamination from the use of pesticides and animal medicines, as well as nitrates from green, leafy vegetables.

The overriding rule is that any packaging materials must not allow their constituents to migrate into the food in amounts that could harm human health or affect the nature or quality of the food. For those that manufacture or convert packaging materials into particular food packaging, there are also rules about documenting good manufacturing practice.

Packaging that meets the requirements for food contact is labelled 'for food contact' and may also bear a specific symbol resembling a wine glass and a fork.

Read more about food packaging.

New types of packaging material that actively maintain or improve the condition of food, as opposed to simply containing it, are now available. Other materials, known as 'intelligent packaging', monitor the condition of the food. These active packaging materials must comply with regulations on food additives. The 'intelligent' packaging technologies should not be used to disguise problems such as spoilage. Information should be given on the package to help consumers use them safely.

Products of Animal Origin (POAO) are subject to extra packaging rules. You must ensure that your products have an identification mark applied before they go into transit. Depending on the product, you can apply the mark to:

• the wrapping
• the packaging
• a label affixed to the product, the wrapping or the packaging

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has further information on the legal requirements with which food packaging must comply. Read the FSA's guidance on food contact materials.

You are responsible for ensuring that all food products are fit for human consumption and not harmful to human or animal health. You can read more about food hygiene and trade in food hygiene and the law. The following checklist will help you ensure that any food products you plan to import into Northern Ireland meet the required standards.

• Do you have the names, addresses and other contact details of your suppliers?
• Have you ensured that food handling and hygiene procedures at the place of origin comply with EU standards? See import conditions.
• Do your products comply with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system?
• Can you ensure traceability of your products in the event of any problems? Is there a robust audit trail documenting the movement and handling of your goods?
• If you are importing products of animal origin (POAOs) from outside the EU, do they have a health certificate, and are they from an approved establishment in an approved country?
• Do you need to have any food samples tested, chemically or microbiologically, to make sure they comply with food safety requirements? This is a legal requirement for certain high risk products and it can provide reassurance that it is safe to import other specific food products.
• Is your chosen outer packaging robust enough to protect your food products against damage, contamination and other problems for the full length of their transit journey?
• Does your outer packaging carry all the information necessary to identify your goods, including the name and address of the supplier, the nature of the consignment and the country of origin?
• Does the manufacturer or freight forwarder transporting your goods comply with food handling and safety procedures? For instance, you may want to check that they are not over-fumigating the goods or that refrigerated vehicles keep food at the right temperature. see food safety and pesticides.
• Does the information given on the sales packaging comply with the relevant EU legislation? Does it include an ingredients list and, where applicable, additional information such as Quantitative Ingredient Declarations (QUIDs) and best-before or use-by dates and/or warning information? You can have this checked by a public analyst to ensure that it complies.
• Does your type of food require any extra checks? See the FSA guidance on imports and exports.
• Do you need an import licence? Some foods are banned, restricted or subject to quota. Such licences in the UK are issued by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). See import and export Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) goods.
• Have you allowed for paying import duty and VAT, as well as CAP levies and tariff quotas for your goods on entry into Northern Ireland? 

The government organisation with primary responsibility for developing policy and producing guidance on labelling and packaging is the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Find information on labelling and packaging.

You can also find information on classifying edible fruits, nuts and peel for import and export.

The FSA Food Alerts service gives information on problems associated with food, along with details of action to be taken. Food Alerts often cover the withdrawal of food products because of problems such as contamination, faulty packaging or incorrect labelling. 

If you have a trading query, you can contact the FSA at Email: helpline@food.gov.uk or Tel: 020 7276 8829.

Trade associations based in the UK can provide help and support to importers of specific food products.

Responsibility for enforcement is shared between central and local government bodies. Traders should be aware that failing to comply with labelling and packaging requirements is an offence. The FSA works through local authorities and port health authorities. In Northern Ireland, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has certain enforcement responsibilities.

Government organisations in third countries may be able to help you with importing, health certificates and other international trade issues:

• In the US, food safety is overseen by the Food Safety and Inspection Service - the Food and Drug Administration focuses on consumer health issues relating to food
• Food Standards Australia and New Zealand works as the food-safety equivalent agency of the UK's FSA in Australia and New Zealand.
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is the food-safety equivalent agency of the FSA in Canada.

Food labelling requirements are set out by law. Food destined for Northern Ireland (NI) must comply with national regulations as well as the European Union (EU) regulations that apply to general and product-specific labelling. In NI, local councils enforce both national and international rules.

Goods imported into Northern Ireland from outside the EU may be checked by the local council. Certain products are subject to specific checks at import. 

Once your goods are on sale in shops or supermarkets, environmental health or trading standards officers are also likely to check them. If your imported products are in breach of labelling and packaging requirements, they may take action against you.

While the list below is compulsory for most imported foods, many types of food have extra requirements. For instance, traders must comply with the extra food labelling systems, such as health marks for meat.

Traders must also check additional requirements for their type of goods.

General labelling standards for NI and EU

Food labelling requirements for NI and EU fall under the EU Food Information to Consumers Regulation. Food sold to consumers or used in catering establishments must be marked with the following information:

• The name of the food. The law prescribes certain 'legal names', which must be used according to regulations, such as 'burger', 'sausage', 'jam', 'butter' and others. Otherwise, you may use a customary name, or one that consumers generally accept, such as 'Bakewell tart'. If no legal or customary name exists, you can use a descriptive name that clearly explains what the product is. Consideration must be given to any additional mandatory particulars which must accompany the name of the food, for example an indication of physical condition ie 'quick frozen', 'freeze dried', 'concentrated' and 'smoked'. You can find more details in Food Standards Agency's (FSA) guidance on the Food information Regulations 2014.
• A list of ingredients, usually in descending order of their weight at the time they were used to prepare the product. Ingredients should be listed using the same name as if they were sold as foods themselves. There are special rules for flavourings and functional additives such as preservatives and colours. Some foods, such as unprepared fresh fruit and vegetables, do not need to be listed as ingredients.
• The quantity of certain ingredients or categories of ingredients, usually the main ones or those used in the name. See below for details of the Quantitative Ingredient Declaration (QUID) rules that state the requirement to indicate the quantities of the main or key ingredients on the labels of food products sold in NI and the EU.
• The appropriate durability indication - the 'use by' date for highly perishable foods and the 'best before' date for other foods. 'Use by' dates are given in either day/month or day/month/year formats and indicate the date until which the food, if properly stored, is recommended for use. 'Best before' dates indicate the date until which the food will keep its properties if properly stored. Either give the date directly or indicate where it can be found, for example - 'Best before: see date on lid'. Some products, including fresh fruit and vegetables, and alcoholic drinks with an alcohol by volume (abv) strength above 10 per cent do not need to be labelled with a durability indication.
• Any special storage conditions and/or conditions of use. Special storage conditions might include, for example, 'store in a cool dry place', 'keep refrigerated', 'once opened, keep refrigerated and consume within 3 days'. Conditions of use might include, for example, 'not suitable for frying' or 'shake well before use'. The label should also indicate whether the food is suitable for home freezing and give instructions where required, such as 'freeze on day of purchase'.
• The name or business name and address of the food business operator.
• The place or country of origin (if failure to provide it might mislead the purchaser). Country of origin rules already exist in specific EU legislation for products such as pork, honey and fish.
• Additional requirements where applicable, including the abv of alcoholic drinks, an indication that packaging gases have been used (eg 'packaged in a protective atmosphere'), a warning of high caffeine content, labelling of sweeteners and glycyrrhizinic acid (a flavouring that masks bitterness) as well as lot or batch marking and weights and measures.
• Whether the food contains any of the following allergens - cereals containing gluten (including wheat, rye, barley and oats), crustaceans, molluscs, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, lupin, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, or sulphur dioxide and sulphites at more than 10 milligrams per kilogram or 10 milligrams per litre. The rules state that the allergen information must be emphasised in the ingredients list where one is used.
• Indication if the food is specially prepared for people with gluten intolerance. The claims 'gluten free' or 'very low gluten' have very specific meanings and can be used only on certain foods. 'Gluten free' means that the product contains 20 parts of gluten per million or less. 'Very low gluten' may be used only on those products which are manufactured using a special type of starch that has been treated to take out almost all of the gluten (products in this category will have a higher level of gluten in them of up to 100 parts per million).
• Whether it contains or consists of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or contains ingredients produced from GMOs. However, you do not have to label foods with GM labelling if the food contains an accidental presence of GM material from sources authorised for use in the EU of 0.9 per cent or less.
• Whether it has or contains ingredients that have been irradiated.
• Instructions for use or cooking - these should be included whenever the consumer needs them in order to use the product as intended.
• The general labelling rules also outline requirements that labels on all food are indelible, clear and easy to read, as well as being easily understood by consumers.

Rules for specific foods

As well as wine and spirits, specific labelling rules apply to these other foods, for example:

• bread and flour
• cocoa and chocolate
• instant coffee
• evaporated and dried milk
• fruit juice
• honey
• infant formula
• jam
• meat products: sausages, burgers and pies
• natural mineral waters
• fish
• spreadable fats
• sugar
• food for specific groups/specific medical purposes (FSMPs), such as infant formula, baby foods, foods suitable for coeliacs (eg gluten-free and very low gluten)

See labelling law for specific food products.

QUID rules

QUID rules refer to Quantitative Ingredient Declarations - the labelling requirement to indicate the quantities of principal or main ingredients for food products sold in the EU. Declarations are required for:

• Ingredients that form part of the name of the food, or that are usually associated with the food by consumers. For example, a product called 'steak and kidney pie' would need to indicate how much steak and kidney was in the product, while a 'fish pie' would need to indicate how much fish was included.
• Ingredients that are emphasised on the labelling, whether in words or with pictures. For example, a product label that stated 'made with real cream' would require a QUID declaration for the cream.
• Some products of animal origin, including meat content for meat products sold loose and not pre-packed (such as butcher's sausages). For example, pork sausages would require a QUID declaration of the percentage of pork content.

You do not need a QUID declaration if the quantity of the ingredient has to be listed anyway under EU legislation, or if the ingredient is used in a small quantity, for example as a flavouring. For example, 'garlic bread' does not need to state the quantity of garlic.

QUID declarations are given as percentages, rounded to the nearest whole number, or to the nearest 0.5 if the proportion is below 5 per cent. The percentage is calculated by dividing the weight of the ingredient by the weight of all the ingredients included in the product. As far as possible, the declaration should reflect the amount of the ingredient at the time the food is prepared by the purchaser of the product.

The declaration should appear either next to the name of the food product, or in the list of ingredients at the relevant point.

Mandatory nutrition declarations

Mandatory nutrition declarations (back of pack labelling) apply to most prepacked foods. This means that if you sell prepacked foods then you must provide nutrition information on the package or label. This relates to the mandatory nutrition panel on food packaging, which requires:

• the energy value (displayed as kJ/kcal)
• amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt provided per 100g or per 100ml.

Organic products have specific marking rules. 

European Community general marketing standard require most fruit and vegetables to be labelled with their country of origin. European Community specific marketing standards requires the following products to be labelled with country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and in some instances size/count and variety:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Specific EC marketing and labelling standards also apply to:

• canned sardines and tuna
• olive oil
• eggs in their shell
• foods with protected names, such as Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb and West Country Cheddar

Materials and articles in contact with food need to be marked 'Not suitable for food use' if they are not meant for human consumption. Find out more about food packaging safety regulations.

Food colouring warnings

If you are still using one or more of six food colourings being voluntarily phased out, you must, with a few exceptions, include a warning on products. In addition to the standard required information, labels must also have a warning using the following wording: 'the name or E number of the colour(s)' may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children'. The colours are:

• sunset yellow (E 110)
• quinoline yellow (E 104)
• carmoisine (E 122)
• allura red (E 129)
• tartrazine (E 102)
• ponceau 4R (E 124)

Read about the rules regarding food additives.

Although weight is not part of food labelling law, most food labels are required to indicate the weight of the product inside the package. Restrictions limiting the range of sizes that all pre-packaged goods could be packed in (with the exception of wines and spirits) no longer apply. Although goods can now be packed in any size, producers may choose to continue using traditional standard pack sizes.

Food claims

There are several regulations covering food claims:

• All claims made such as 'low fat' and 'helps maintain supple joints', must comply with European Commission (EC) Regulation No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims rules and be supported by scientific evidence. Claims must be on a permitted list and the product must meet set criteria. The Regulation also makes prescribed nutrition labelling compulsory on any product for which claims are made.
• You cannot claim food is 'healthy' or 'good for you' unless you can support it with approved evidence. If you add nutrition labelling you must use the prescribed format.
• Fortified food needs to comply with specific labelling requirements for foods with added vitamins or minerals.
• Fibre has specific definitions with which you must comply.
• Energy conversion factors apply when food manufacturers calculate values of fibre and erythritol (sweetener) for their products' energy declarations.
• There is legislation on the addition of vitamins and minerals and certain other substances to food. There are classifications for classifying herbal medicines, supplements, tonics for import and export.
• Claims for foods for specific groups and those with a specific nutritional function, including infant formula, follow-on formula and baby foods - must comply with special regulations.
• Medicinal claims for food are illegal - you must not claim that food can treat, prevent or cure any disease or medical condition.

Find out more about the requirements around nutritional and health claims.

Raw milk

Containers of raw milk should be marked 'This milk has not been heat-treated and may therefore contain organisms harmful to health'. Foods that consist of skimmed milk together with non-milk fat, or that can be used as milk substitutes, but are not intended for infants, should be prominently marked with a warning that they are not suitable for babies.

Misleading information

There are laws that indicate that food labelling should not mislead people about any aspect of a food product. This includes making false claims about its properties or suggesting that it has special characteristics when, in fact, all similar foods have those characteristics.

Fruit and vegetables

For fresh fruit and vegetables specific EC marketing and labelling standards now cover only these products:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly- and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Labelling required includes country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and for some products a size/count and/or a variety/type.

Many other fresh fruit and vegetables are covered by the EC general marketing standard and require country of origin labelling.

Format and placing of labelling information

Mandatory food information must be marked in a conspicuous place in such a way as to be easily visible, clearly legible and, where appropriate, indelible. It must not in any way be hidden, obscured, detracted from or interrupted by any other written or pictorial matter or any other intervening material. Voluntary food information must not be displayed to the detriment of the space available for mandatory food information.

This information must be printed on the package or label legibly, in characters using a font size where the x-height is equal to or greater than 1.2mm.

In the case of packaging or containers, the largest surface of which has an area of less than 80cm2, the x-height of the font size must be equal to or greater than 0.9mm.

If food products are sold or transported in outer packaging, it should include the name of the food, its durability indication, storage conditions and details of the food business operator.

Labelling standards outside the EU

If you are exporting food outside the EU and intend to make it available for sale, you can contact the country's embassy (specifically the Commercial Attaché) in the UK for help with checking if there are export restrictions, and any special labelling or packaging requirements. There are restrictions on food exports to the USA. Traders must register with the US Food and Drug Administration and must operate through a US-registered agent.

Rules of origin for imported and exported goods are used to determine the national or territorial provenance of goods for trade purposes.

Traders must comply with extra food labelling systems, health marks and Quantitative Ingredient Declarations (QUIDs) for goods that will be consumed in NI and the European Union (EU).

Health marks are applied to red meat carcasses and wholesale cuts to show that they are fit for human consumption. They are also an important way to ensure that meat products are traceable, so that if a food safety emergency occurs, problems can be quickly traced and, if necessary, foods withdrawn from the market. The health mark indicates that red meat carcasses and wholesale cuts have been subject to pre- and post-mortem inspection and are fit for human consumption at the time of inspection.

The health mark itself is an oval mark at least 6.5 centimetres by 4.5 centimetres high, and lists the following information in clearly legible type:

• the country in which the establishment that prepared the meat (slaughterhouse) is located
• the approval number of the slaughterhouse

The health mark may also include an indication of the official veterinarian who carried out the health inspection of the meat.

Other meat products that do not require a health mark are given an identification mark or 'ID mark' indicating their origin. The identification mark, applied by the food business operator, indicates that white meat, all cut meat and processed meat has been produced in accordance with the legal requirements. It should include the country of origin, the name of the establishment where the product was made and its approval number. Unlike health marks, ID marks do not indicate that any health inspection has been carried out.

Products of animal origin cannot be sold in Northern Ireland or the EU without either a health mark or an identification mark.

Health and identification marks

The Food Standards Agency has produced guidance on the health and identification marks that must be applied to food products of animal origin (POAO) - such as meat, egg products, fish, cheese and milk. Read about the use of health and identification marks on GB, NI, EU and non-EU markets.

Marketing standards are enforced by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

General marketing standards require most fruit and vegetables to be labelled with their country of origin. The standard requires produce to be intact, clean, sufficiently mature, free from rot and free from pests and pest damage. However, several common products are not covered by the general marketing standard.

They include:

• potatoes
• coconuts
• sugarcane
• sweetcorn
• wild mushrooms
• chilli peppers
• capers
• Brazil nuts
• bitter or shelled almonds
• shelled hazelnuts and walnuts
• olives
• pine nuts
• bananas
• saffron
• ginger
• peanuts
• sweet potatoes and yams

Specific marketing standards cover these products:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly- and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Labelling required includes country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and for some products a size/count and/or a variety/type.

If you import or export any of the fruit and vegetables listed above with specific marketing standards into or from Northern Ireland from or to any country outside of the European Union (EU) for selling fresh, you will require a Certificate of Conformity before your goods can be released into or from free circulation within the EU.

You do not require a certificate if the goods are to be used for processing, or for most other fruit, vegetables, nuts and herbs.

Traders in England and Wales must obtain a Certificate of Conformity through a Procedure for Electronic Application for Certificates (PEACH).

PEACH only applies to Scotland and Northern Ireland businesses whose imports arrive via either England or Wales. Importers from Northern Ireland should contact the DAERA Helpline on Tel 028 9052 4999 for further advice.

The packaging you choose for your food goods must provide enough information for handlers to move your goods safely and hygienically. You must also make sure that basic standards for all packaging used for importing and exporting are met.

See how to label and package goods being shipped out of the UK .

Three types of packaging are used for food:

• Transport or export packaging is the outermost layer, which protects the product during transit.
• Outer packaging is an intermediate layer, for example a box containing several bags, tins or pouches of product, which is sometimes used to display goods in a retail environment.
• Sales packaging is the immediate layer of packaging around the goods.

Packaging materials

There are a number of requirements that cover packaging for foods and other materials. As well as dealing with packaging in direct contact with food, the rules cover packaging capable of affecting food through the migration of its constituents into the food. Key rules include:

• Aluminium is considered safe for food contact, although it may not be suitable for highly acidic foods such as tomatoes and soft fruits.
• Plastics are subject to an overall migration limit of 10 milligrams per square decimetre of plastic surface area or per kilogram of food. There are also many specific migration limits that apply to individual substances contained in the regulations, whether they are plastics monomers or plastics additives that are used to achieve a particular technical effect. There are also rules about the use of declarations of legal compliance that apply to packaging moving up and down the supply chain. See more on plastics in food packaging.
• Other specific rules apply to regenerated cellulose film, ceramics, plasticisers in seals for food containers, certain epoxy derivatives used in coatings, adhesives and plastics when used in contact with food.
• Rules apply to contamination from chemicals, including mycotoxin (mould-related) contamination (in, for example, cereals and dried fruit) and radiological contamination from the use of pesticides and animal medicines, as well as nitrates from green, leafy vegetables.

The overriding rule is that any packaging materials must not allow their constituents to migrate into the food in amounts that could harm human health or affect the nature or quality of the food. For those that manufacture or convert packaging materials into particular food packaging, there are also rules about documenting good manufacturing practice.

Packaging that meets the requirements for food contact is labelled 'for food contact' and may also bear a specific symbol resembling a wine glass and a fork.

Read more about food packaging.

New types of packaging material that actively maintain or improve the condition of food, as opposed to simply containing it, are now available. Other materials, known as 'intelligent packaging', monitor the condition of the food. These active packaging materials must comply with regulations on food additives. The 'intelligent' packaging technologies should not be used to disguise problems such as spoilage. Information should be given on the package to help consumers use them safely.

Products of Animal Origin (POAO) are subject to extra packaging rules. You must ensure that your products have an identification mark applied before they go into transit. Depending on the product, you can apply the mark to:

• the wrapping
• the packaging
• a label affixed to the product, the wrapping or the packaging

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has further information on the legal requirements with which food packaging must comply. Read the FSA's guidance on food contact materials.

You are responsible for ensuring that all food products are fit for human consumption and not harmful to human or animal health. You can read more about food hygiene and trade in food hygiene and the law. The following checklist will help you ensure that any food products you plan to import into Northern Ireland meet the required standards.

• Do you have the names, addresses and other contact details of your suppliers?
• Have you ensured that food handling and hygiene procedures at the place of origin comply with EU standards? See import conditions.
• Do your products comply with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system?
• Can you ensure traceability of your products in the event of any problems? Is there a robust audit trail documenting the movement and handling of your goods?
• If you are importing products of animal origin (POAOs) from outside the EU, do they have a health certificate, and are they from an approved establishment in an approved country?
• Do you need to have any food samples tested, chemically or microbiologically, to make sure they comply with food safety requirements? This is a legal requirement for certain high risk products and it can provide reassurance that it is safe to import other specific food products.
• Is your chosen outer packaging robust enough to protect your food products against damage, contamination and other problems for the full length of their transit journey?
• Does your outer packaging carry all the information necessary to identify your goods, including the name and address of the supplier, the nature of the consignment and the country of origin?
• Does the manufacturer or freight forwarder transporting your goods comply with food handling and safety procedures? For instance, you may want to check that they are not over-fumigating the goods or that refrigerated vehicles keep food at the right temperature. see food safety and pesticides.
• Does the information given on the sales packaging comply with the relevant EU legislation? Does it include an ingredients list and, where applicable, additional information such as Quantitative Ingredient Declarations (QUIDs) and best-before or use-by dates and/or warning information? You can have this checked by a public analyst to ensure that it complies.
• Does your type of food require any extra checks? See the FSA guidance on imports and exports.
• Do you need an import licence? Some foods are banned, restricted or subject to quota. Such licences in the UK are issued by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). See import and export Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) goods.
• Have you allowed for paying import duty and VAT, as well as CAP levies and tariff quotas for your goods on entry into Northern Ireland? 

The government organisation with primary responsibility for developing policy and producing guidance on labelling and packaging is the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Find information on labelling and packaging.

You can also find information on classifying edible fruits, nuts and peel for import and export.

The FSA Food Alerts service gives information on problems associated with food, along with details of action to be taken. Food Alerts often cover the withdrawal of food products because of problems such as contamination, faulty packaging or incorrect labelling. 

If you have a trading query, you can contact the FSA at Email: helpline@food.gov.uk or Tel: 020 7276 8829.

Trade associations based in the UK can provide help and support to importers of specific food products.

Responsibility for enforcement is shared between central and local government bodies. Traders should be aware that failing to comply with labelling and packaging requirements is an offence. The FSA works through local authorities and port health authorities. In Northern Ireland, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has certain enforcement responsibilities.

Government organisations in third countries may be able to help you with importing, health certificates and other international trade issues:

• In the US, food safety is overseen by the Food Safety and Inspection Service - the Food and Drug Administration focuses on consumer health issues relating to food
• Food Standards Australia and New Zealand works as the food-safety equivalent agency of the UK's FSA in Australia and New Zealand.
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is the food-safety equivalent agency of the FSA in Canada.

Food labelling requirements are set out by law. Food destined for Northern Ireland (NI) must comply with national regulations as well as the European Union (EU) regulations that apply to general and product-specific labelling. In NI, local councils enforce both national and international rules.

Goods imported into Northern Ireland from outside the EU may be checked by the local council. Certain products are subject to specific checks at import. 

Once your goods are on sale in shops or supermarkets, environmental health or trading standards officers are also likely to check them. If your imported products are in breach of labelling and packaging requirements, they may take action against you.

While the list below is compulsory for most imported foods, many types of food have extra requirements. For instance, traders must comply with the extra food labelling systems, such as health marks for meat.

Traders must also check additional requirements for their type of goods.

General labelling standards for NI and EU

Food labelling requirements for NI and EU fall under the EU Food Information to Consumers Regulation. Food sold to consumers or used in catering establishments must be marked with the following information:

• The name of the food. The law prescribes certain 'legal names', which must be used according to regulations, such as 'burger', 'sausage', 'jam', 'butter' and others. Otherwise, you may use a customary name, or one that consumers generally accept, such as 'Bakewell tart'. If no legal or customary name exists, you can use a descriptive name that clearly explains what the product is. Consideration must be given to any additional mandatory particulars which must accompany the name of the food, for example an indication of physical condition ie 'quick frozen', 'freeze dried', 'concentrated' and 'smoked'. You can find more details in Food Standards Agency's (FSA) guidance on the Food information Regulations 2014.
• A list of ingredients, usually in descending order of their weight at the time they were used to prepare the product. Ingredients should be listed using the same name as if they were sold as foods themselves. There are special rules for flavourings and functional additives such as preservatives and colours. Some foods, such as unprepared fresh fruit and vegetables, do not need to be listed as ingredients.
• The quantity of certain ingredients or categories of ingredients, usually the main ones or those used in the name. See below for details of the Quantitative Ingredient Declaration (QUID) rules that state the requirement to indicate the quantities of the main or key ingredients on the labels of food products sold in NI and the EU.
• The appropriate durability indication - the 'use by' date for highly perishable foods and the 'best before' date for other foods. 'Use by' dates are given in either day/month or day/month/year formats and indicate the date until which the food, if properly stored, is recommended for use. 'Best before' dates indicate the date until which the food will keep its properties if properly stored. Either give the date directly or indicate where it can be found, for example - 'Best before: see date on lid'. Some products, including fresh fruit and vegetables, and alcoholic drinks with an alcohol by volume (abv) strength above 10 per cent do not need to be labelled with a durability indication.
• Any special storage conditions and/or conditions of use. Special storage conditions might include, for example, 'store in a cool dry place', 'keep refrigerated', 'once opened, keep refrigerated and consume within 3 days'. Conditions of use might include, for example, 'not suitable for frying' or 'shake well before use'. The label should also indicate whether the food is suitable for home freezing and give instructions where required, such as 'freeze on day of purchase'.
• The name or business name and address of the food business operator.
• The place or country of origin (if failure to provide it might mislead the purchaser). Country of origin rules already exist in specific EU legislation for products such as pork, honey and fish.
• Additional requirements where applicable, including the abv of alcoholic drinks, an indication that packaging gases have been used (eg 'packaged in a protective atmosphere'), a warning of high caffeine content, labelling of sweeteners and glycyrrhizinic acid (a flavouring that masks bitterness) as well as lot or batch marking and weights and measures.
• Whether the food contains any of the following allergens - cereals containing gluten (including wheat, rye, barley and oats), crustaceans, molluscs, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, lupin, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, or sulphur dioxide and sulphites at more than 10 milligrams per kilogram or 10 milligrams per litre. The rules state that the allergen information must be emphasised in the ingredients list where one is used.
• Indication if the food is specially prepared for people with gluten intolerance. The claims 'gluten free' or 'very low gluten' have very specific meanings and can be used only on certain foods. 'Gluten free' means that the product contains 20 parts of gluten per million or less. 'Very low gluten' may be used only on those products which are manufactured using a special type of starch that has been treated to take out almost all of the gluten (products in this category will have a higher level of gluten in them of up to 100 parts per million).
• Whether it contains or consists of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or contains ingredients produced from GMOs. However, you do not have to label foods with GM labelling if the food contains an accidental presence of GM material from sources authorised for use in the EU of 0.9 per cent or less.
• Whether it has or contains ingredients that have been irradiated.
• Instructions for use or cooking - these should be included whenever the consumer needs them in order to use the product as intended.
• The general labelling rules also outline requirements that labels on all food are indelible, clear and easy to read, as well as being easily understood by consumers.

Rules for specific foods

As well as wine and spirits, specific labelling rules apply to these other foods, for example:

• bread and flour
• cocoa and chocolate
• instant coffee
• evaporated and dried milk
• fruit juice
• honey
• infant formula
• jam
• meat products: sausages, burgers and pies
• natural mineral waters
• fish
• spreadable fats
• sugar
• food for specific groups/specific medical purposes (FSMPs), such as infant formula, baby foods, foods suitable for coeliacs (eg gluten-free and very low gluten)

See labelling law for specific food products.

QUID rules

QUID rules refer to Quantitative Ingredient Declarations - the labelling requirement to indicate the quantities of principal or main ingredients for food products sold in the EU. Declarations are required for:

• Ingredients that form part of the name of the food, or that are usually associated with the food by consumers. For example, a product called 'steak and kidney pie' would need to indicate how much steak and kidney was in the product, while a 'fish pie' would need to indicate how much fish was included.
• Ingredients that are emphasised on the labelling, whether in words or with pictures. For example, a product label that stated 'made with real cream' would require a QUID declaration for the cream.
• Some products of animal origin, including meat content for meat products sold loose and not pre-packed (such as butcher's sausages). For example, pork sausages would require a QUID declaration of the percentage of pork content.

You do not need a QUID declaration if the quantity of the ingredient has to be listed anyway under EU legislation, or if the ingredient is used in a small quantity, for example as a flavouring. For example, 'garlic bread' does not need to state the quantity of garlic.

QUID declarations are given as percentages, rounded to the nearest whole number, or to the nearest 0.5 if the proportion is below 5 per cent. The percentage is calculated by dividing the weight of the ingredient by the weight of all the ingredients included in the product. As far as possible, the declaration should reflect the amount of the ingredient at the time the food is prepared by the purchaser of the product.

The declaration should appear either next to the name of the food product, or in the list of ingredients at the relevant point.

Mandatory nutrition declarations

Mandatory nutrition declarations (back of pack labelling) apply to most prepacked foods. This means that if you sell prepacked foods then you must provide nutrition information on the package or label. This relates to the mandatory nutrition panel on food packaging, which requires:

• the energy value (displayed as kJ/kcal)
• amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt provided per 100g or per 100ml.

Organic products have specific marking rules. 

European Community general marketing standard require most fruit and vegetables to be labelled with their country of origin. European Community specific marketing standards requires the following products to be labelled with country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and in some instances size/count and variety:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Specific EC marketing and labelling standards also apply to:

• canned sardines and tuna
• olive oil
• eggs in their shell
• foods with protected names, such as Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb and West Country Cheddar

Materials and articles in contact with food need to be marked 'Not suitable for food use' if they are not meant for human consumption. Find out more about food packaging safety regulations.

Food colouring warnings

If you are still using one or more of six food colourings being voluntarily phased out, you must, with a few exceptions, include a warning on products. In addition to the standard required information, labels must also have a warning using the following wording: 'the name or E number of the colour(s)' may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children'. The colours are:

• sunset yellow (E 110)
• quinoline yellow (E 104)
• carmoisine (E 122)
• allura red (E 129)
• tartrazine (E 102)
• ponceau 4R (E 124)

Read about the rules regarding food additives.

Although weight is not part of food labelling law, most food labels are required to indicate the weight of the product inside the package. Restrictions limiting the range of sizes that all pre-packaged goods could be packed in (with the exception of wines and spirits) no longer apply. Although goods can now be packed in any size, producers may choose to continue using traditional standard pack sizes.

Food claims

There are several regulations covering food claims:

• All claims made such as 'low fat' and 'helps maintain supple joints', must comply with European Commission (EC) Regulation No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims rules and be supported by scientific evidence. Claims must be on a permitted list and the product must meet set criteria. The Regulation also makes prescribed nutrition labelling compulsory on any product for which claims are made.
• You cannot claim food is 'healthy' or 'good for you' unless you can support it with approved evidence. If you add nutrition labelling you must use the prescribed format.
• Fortified food needs to comply with specific labelling requirements for foods with added vitamins or minerals.
• Fibre has specific definitions with which you must comply.
• Energy conversion factors apply when food manufacturers calculate values of fibre and erythritol (sweetener) for their products' energy declarations.
• There is legislation on the addition of vitamins and minerals and certain other substances to food. There are classifications for classifying herbal medicines, supplements, tonics for import and export.
• Claims for foods for specific groups and those with a specific nutritional function, including infant formula, follow-on formula and baby foods - must comply with special regulations.
• Medicinal claims for food are illegal - you must not claim that food can treat, prevent or cure any disease or medical condition.

Find out more about the requirements around nutritional and health claims.

Raw milk

Containers of raw milk should be marked 'This milk has not been heat-treated and may therefore contain organisms harmful to health'. Foods that consist of skimmed milk together with non-milk fat, or that can be used as milk substitutes, but are not intended for infants, should be prominently marked with a warning that they are not suitable for babies.

Misleading information

There are laws that indicate that food labelling should not mislead people about any aspect of a food product. This includes making false claims about its properties or suggesting that it has special characteristics when, in fact, all similar foods have those characteristics.

Fruit and vegetables

For fresh fruit and vegetables specific EC marketing and labelling standards now cover only these products:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly- and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Labelling required includes country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and for some products a size/count and/or a variety/type.

Many other fresh fruit and vegetables are covered by the EC general marketing standard and require country of origin labelling.

Format and placing of labelling information

Mandatory food information must be marked in a conspicuous place in such a way as to be easily visible, clearly legible and, where appropriate, indelible. It must not in any way be hidden, obscured, detracted from or interrupted by any other written or pictorial matter or any other intervening material. Voluntary food information must not be displayed to the detriment of the space available for mandatory food information.

This information must be printed on the package or label legibly, in characters using a font size where the x-height is equal to or greater than 1.2mm.

In the case of packaging or containers, the largest surface of which has an area of less than 80cm2, the x-height of the font size must be equal to or greater than 0.9mm.

If food products are sold or transported in outer packaging, it should include the name of the food, its durability indication, storage conditions and details of the food business operator.

Labelling standards outside the EU

If you are exporting food outside the EU and intend to make it available for sale, you can contact the country's embassy (specifically the Commercial Attaché) in the UK for help with checking if there are export restrictions, and any special labelling or packaging requirements. There are restrictions on food exports to the USA. Traders must register with the US Food and Drug Administration and must operate through a US-registered agent.

Rules of origin for imported and exported goods are used to determine the national or territorial provenance of goods for trade purposes.

Traders must comply with extra food labelling systems, health marks and Quantitative Ingredient Declarations (QUIDs) for goods that will be consumed in NI and the European Union (EU).

Health marks are applied to red meat carcasses and wholesale cuts to show that they are fit for human consumption. They are also an important way to ensure that meat products are traceable, so that if a food safety emergency occurs, problems can be quickly traced and, if necessary, foods withdrawn from the market. The health mark indicates that red meat carcasses and wholesale cuts have been subject to pre- and post-mortem inspection and are fit for human consumption at the time of inspection.

The health mark itself is an oval mark at least 6.5 centimetres by 4.5 centimetres high, and lists the following information in clearly legible type:

• the country in which the establishment that prepared the meat (slaughterhouse) is located
• the approval number of the slaughterhouse

The health mark may also include an indication of the official veterinarian who carried out the health inspection of the meat.

Other meat products that do not require a health mark are given an identification mark or 'ID mark' indicating their origin. The identification mark, applied by the food business operator, indicates that white meat, all cut meat and processed meat has been produced in accordance with the legal requirements. It should include the country of origin, the name of the establishment where the product was made and its approval number. Unlike health marks, ID marks do not indicate that any health inspection has been carried out.

Products of animal origin cannot be sold in Northern Ireland or the EU without either a health mark or an identification mark.

Health and identification marks

The Food Standards Agency has produced guidance on the health and identification marks that must be applied to food products of animal origin (POAO) - such as meat, egg products, fish, cheese and milk. Read about the use of health and identification marks on GB, NI, EU and non-EU markets.

Marketing standards are enforced by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

General marketing standards require most fruit and vegetables to be labelled with their country of origin. The standard requires produce to be intact, clean, sufficiently mature, free from rot and free from pests and pest damage. However, several common products are not covered by the general marketing standard.

They include:

• potatoes
• coconuts
• sugarcane
• sweetcorn
• wild mushrooms
• chilli peppers
• capers
• Brazil nuts
• bitter or shelled almonds
• shelled hazelnuts and walnuts
• olives
• pine nuts
• bananas
• saffron
• ginger
• peanuts
• sweet potatoes and yams

Specific marketing standards cover these products:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly- and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Labelling required includes country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and for some products a size/count and/or a variety/type.

If you import or export any of the fruit and vegetables listed above with specific marketing standards into or from Northern Ireland from or to any country outside of the European Union (EU) for selling fresh, you will require a Certificate of Conformity before your goods can be released into or from free circulation within the EU.

You do not require a certificate if the goods are to be used for processing, or for most other fruit, vegetables, nuts and herbs.

Traders in England and Wales must obtain a Certificate of Conformity through a Procedure for Electronic Application for Certificates (PEACH).

PEACH only applies to Scotland and Northern Ireland businesses whose imports arrive via either England or Wales. Importers from Northern Ireland should contact the DAERA Helpline on Tel 028 9052 4999 for further advice.

The packaging you choose for your food goods must provide enough information for handlers to move your goods safely and hygienically. You must also make sure that basic standards for all packaging used for importing and exporting are met.

See how to label and package goods being shipped out of the UK .

Three types of packaging are used for food:

• Transport or export packaging is the outermost layer, which protects the product during transit.
• Outer packaging is an intermediate layer, for example a box containing several bags, tins or pouches of product, which is sometimes used to display goods in a retail environment.
• Sales packaging is the immediate layer of packaging around the goods.

Packaging materials

There are a number of requirements that cover packaging for foods and other materials. As well as dealing with packaging in direct contact with food, the rules cover packaging capable of affecting food through the migration of its constituents into the food. Key rules include:

• Aluminium is considered safe for food contact, although it may not be suitable for highly acidic foods such as tomatoes and soft fruits.
• Plastics are subject to an overall migration limit of 10 milligrams per square decimetre of plastic surface area or per kilogram of food. There are also many specific migration limits that apply to individual substances contained in the regulations, whether they are plastics monomers or plastics additives that are used to achieve a particular technical effect. There are also rules about the use of declarations of legal compliance that apply to packaging moving up and down the supply chain. See more on plastics in food packaging.
• Other specific rules apply to regenerated cellulose film, ceramics, plasticisers in seals for food containers, certain epoxy derivatives used in coatings, adhesives and plastics when used in contact with food.
• Rules apply to contamination from chemicals, including mycotoxin (mould-related) contamination (in, for example, cereals and dried fruit) and radiological contamination from the use of pesticides and animal medicines, as well as nitrates from green, leafy vegetables.

The overriding rule is that any packaging materials must not allow their constituents to migrate into the food in amounts that could harm human health or affect the nature or quality of the food. For those that manufacture or convert packaging materials into particular food packaging, there are also rules about documenting good manufacturing practice.

Packaging that meets the requirements for food contact is labelled 'for food contact' and may also bear a specific symbol resembling a wine glass and a fork.

Read more about food packaging.

New types of packaging material that actively maintain or improve the condition of food, as opposed to simply containing it, are now available. Other materials, known as 'intelligent packaging', monitor the condition of the food. These active packaging materials must comply with regulations on food additives. The 'intelligent' packaging technologies should not be used to disguise problems such as spoilage. Information should be given on the package to help consumers use them safely.

Products of Animal Origin (POAO) are subject to extra packaging rules. You must ensure that your products have an identification mark applied before they go into transit. Depending on the product, you can apply the mark to:

• the wrapping
• the packaging
• a label affixed to the product, the wrapping or the packaging

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has further information on the legal requirements with which food packaging must comply. Read the FSA's guidance on food contact materials.

You are responsible for ensuring that all food products are fit for human consumption and not harmful to human or animal health. You can read more about food hygiene and trade in food hygiene and the law. The following checklist will help you ensure that any food products you plan to import into Northern Ireland meet the required standards.

• Do you have the names, addresses and other contact details of your suppliers?
• Have you ensured that food handling and hygiene procedures at the place of origin comply with EU standards? See import conditions.
• Do your products comply with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system?
• Can you ensure traceability of your products in the event of any problems? Is there a robust audit trail documenting the movement and handling of your goods?
• If you are importing products of animal origin (POAOs) from outside the EU, do they have a health certificate, and are they from an approved establishment in an approved country?
• Do you need to have any food samples tested, chemically or microbiologically, to make sure they comply with food safety requirements? This is a legal requirement for certain high risk products and it can provide reassurance that it is safe to import other specific food products.
• Is your chosen outer packaging robust enough to protect your food products against damage, contamination and other problems for the full length of their transit journey?
• Does your outer packaging carry all the information necessary to identify your goods, including the name and address of the supplier, the nature of the consignment and the country of origin?
• Does the manufacturer or freight forwarder transporting your goods comply with food handling and safety procedures? For instance, you may want to check that they are not over-fumigating the goods or that refrigerated vehicles keep food at the right temperature. see food safety and pesticides.
• Does the information given on the sales packaging comply with the relevant EU legislation? Does it include an ingredients list and, where applicable, additional information such as Quantitative Ingredient Declarations (QUIDs) and best-before or use-by dates and/or warning information? You can have this checked by a public analyst to ensure that it complies.
• Does your type of food require any extra checks? See the FSA guidance on imports and exports.
• Do you need an import licence? Some foods are banned, restricted or subject to quota. Such licences in the UK are issued by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). See import and export Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) goods.
• Have you allowed for paying import duty and VAT, as well as CAP levies and tariff quotas for your goods on entry into Northern Ireland? 

The government organisation with primary responsibility for developing policy and producing guidance on labelling and packaging is the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Find information on labelling and packaging.

You can also find information on classifying edible fruits, nuts and peel for import and export.

The FSA Food Alerts service gives information on problems associated with food, along with details of action to be taken. Food Alerts often cover the withdrawal of food products because of problems such as contamination, faulty packaging or incorrect labelling. 

If you have a trading query, you can contact the FSA at Email: helpline@food.gov.uk or Tel: 020 7276 8829.

Trade associations based in the UK can provide help and support to importers of specific food products.

Responsibility for enforcement is shared between central and local government bodies. Traders should be aware that failing to comply with labelling and packaging requirements is an offence. The FSA works through local authorities and port health authorities. In Northern Ireland, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has certain enforcement responsibilities.

Government organisations in third countries may be able to help you with importing, health certificates and other international trade issues:

• In the US, food safety is overseen by the Food Safety and Inspection Service - the Food and Drug Administration focuses on consumer health issues relating to food
• Food Standards Australia and New Zealand works as the food-safety equivalent agency of the UK's FSA in Australia and New Zealand.
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is the food-safety equivalent agency of the FSA in Canada.

Food labelling requirements are set out by law. Food destined for Northern Ireland (NI) must comply with national regulations as well as the European Union (EU) regulations that apply to general and product-specific labelling. In NI, local councils enforce both national and international rules.

Goods imported into Northern Ireland from outside the EU may be checked by the local council. Certain products are subject to specific checks at import. 

Once your goods are on sale in shops or supermarkets, environmental health or trading standards officers are also likely to check them. If your imported products are in breach of labelling and packaging requirements, they may take action against you.

While the list below is compulsory for most imported foods, many types of food have extra requirements. For instance, traders must comply with the extra food labelling systems, such as health marks for meat.

Traders must also check additional requirements for their type of goods.

General labelling standards for NI and EU

Food labelling requirements for NI and EU fall under the EU Food Information to Consumers Regulation. Food sold to consumers or used in catering establishments must be marked with the following information:

• The name of the food. The law prescribes certain 'legal names', which must be used according to regulations, such as 'burger', 'sausage', 'jam', 'butter' and others. Otherwise, you may use a customary name, or one that consumers generally accept, such as 'Bakewell tart'. If no legal or customary name exists, you can use a descriptive name that clearly explains what the product is. Consideration must be given to any additional mandatory particulars which must accompany the name of the food, for example an indication of physical condition ie 'quick frozen', 'freeze dried', 'concentrated' and 'smoked'. You can find more details in Food Standards Agency's (FSA) guidance on the Food information Regulations 2014.
• A list of ingredients, usually in descending order of their weight at the time they were used to prepare the product. Ingredients should be listed using the same name as if they were sold as foods themselves. There are special rules for flavourings and functional additives such as preservatives and colours. Some foods, such as unprepared fresh fruit and vegetables, do not need to be listed as ingredients.
• The quantity of certain ingredients or categories of ingredients, usually the main ones or those used in the name. See below for details of the Quantitative Ingredient Declaration (QUID) rules that state the requirement to indicate the quantities of the main or key ingredients on the labels of food products sold in NI and the EU.
• The appropriate durability indication - the 'use by' date for highly perishable foods and the 'best before' date for other foods. 'Use by' dates are given in either day/month or day/month/year formats and indicate the date until which the food, if properly stored, is recommended for use. 'Best before' dates indicate the date until which the food will keep its properties if properly stored. Either give the date directly or indicate where it can be found, for example - 'Best before: see date on lid'. Some products, including fresh fruit and vegetables, and alcoholic drinks with an alcohol by volume (abv) strength above 10 per cent do not need to be labelled with a durability indication.
• Any special storage conditions and/or conditions of use. Special storage conditions might include, for example, 'store in a cool dry place', 'keep refrigerated', 'once opened, keep refrigerated and consume within 3 days'. Conditions of use might include, for example, 'not suitable for frying' or 'shake well before use'. The label should also indicate whether the food is suitable for home freezing and give instructions where required, such as 'freeze on day of purchase'.
• The name or business name and address of the food business operator.
• The place or country of origin (if failure to provide it might mislead the purchaser). Country of origin rules already exist in specific EU legislation for products such as pork, honey and fish.
• Additional requirements where applicable, including the abv of alcoholic drinks, an indication that packaging gases have been used (eg 'packaged in a protective atmosphere'), a warning of high caffeine content, labelling of sweeteners and glycyrrhizinic acid (a flavouring that masks bitterness) as well as lot or batch marking and weights and measures.
• Whether the food contains any of the following allergens - cereals containing gluten (including wheat, rye, barley and oats), crustaceans, molluscs, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, lupin, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, or sulphur dioxide and sulphites at more than 10 milligrams per kilogram or 10 milligrams per litre. The rules state that the allergen information must be emphasised in the ingredients list where one is used.
• Indication if the food is specially prepared for people with gluten intolerance. The claims 'gluten free' or 'very low gluten' have very specific meanings and can be used only on certain foods. 'Gluten free' means that the product contains 20 parts of gluten per million or less. 'Very low gluten' may be used only on those products which are manufactured using a special type of starch that has been treated to take out almost all of the gluten (products in this category will have a higher level of gluten in them of up to 100 parts per million).
• Whether it contains or consists of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or contains ingredients produced from GMOs. However, you do not have to label foods with GM labelling if the food contains an accidental presence of GM material from sources authorised for use in the EU of 0.9 per cent or less.
• Whether it has or contains ingredients that have been irradiated.
• Instructions for use or cooking - these should be included whenever the consumer needs them in order to use the product as intended.
• The general labelling rules also outline requirements that labels on all food are indelible, clear and easy to read, as well as being easily understood by consumers.

Rules for specific foods

As well as wine and spirits, specific labelling rules apply to these other foods, for example:

• bread and flour
• cocoa and chocolate
• instant coffee
• evaporated and dried milk
• fruit juice
• honey
• infant formula
• jam
• meat products: sausages, burgers and pies
• natural mineral waters
• fish
• spreadable fats
• sugar
• food for specific groups/specific medical purposes (FSMPs), such as infant formula, baby foods, foods suitable for coeliacs (eg gluten-free and very low gluten)

See labelling law for specific food products.

QUID rules

QUID rules refer to Quantitative Ingredient Declarations - the labelling requirement to indicate the quantities of principal or main ingredients for food products sold in the EU. Declarations are required for:

• Ingredients that form part of the name of the food, or that are usually associated with the food by consumers. For example, a product called 'steak and kidney pie' would need to indicate how much steak and kidney was in the product, while a 'fish pie' would need to indicate how much fish was included.
• Ingredients that are emphasised on the labelling, whether in words or with pictures. For example, a product label that stated 'made with real cream' would require a QUID declaration for the cream.
• Some products of animal origin, including meat content for meat products sold loose and not pre-packed (such as butcher's sausages). For example, pork sausages would require a QUID declaration of the percentage of pork content.

You do not need a QUID declaration if the quantity of the ingredient has to be listed anyway under EU legislation, or if the ingredient is used in a small quantity, for example as a flavouring. For example, 'garlic bread' does not need to state the quantity of garlic.

QUID declarations are given as percentages, rounded to the nearest whole number, or to the nearest 0.5 if the proportion is below 5 per cent. The percentage is calculated by dividing the weight of the ingredient by the weight of all the ingredients included in the product. As far as possible, the declaration should reflect the amount of the ingredient at the time the food is prepared by the purchaser of the product.

The declaration should appear either next to the name of the food product, or in the list of ingredients at the relevant point.

Mandatory nutrition declarations

Mandatory nutrition declarations (back of pack labelling) apply to most prepacked foods. This means that if you sell prepacked foods then you must provide nutrition information on the package or label. This relates to the mandatory nutrition panel on food packaging, which requires:

• the energy value (displayed as kJ/kcal)
• amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt provided per 100g or per 100ml.

Organic products have specific marking rules. 

European Community general marketing standard require most fruit and vegetables to be labelled with their country of origin. European Community specific marketing standards requires the following products to be labelled with country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and in some instances size/count and variety:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Specific EC marketing and labelling standards also apply to:

• canned sardines and tuna
• olive oil
• eggs in their shell
• foods with protected names, such as Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb and West Country Cheddar

Materials and articles in contact with food need to be marked 'Not suitable for food use' if they are not meant for human consumption. Find out more about food packaging safety regulations.

Food colouring warnings

If you are still using one or more of six food colourings being voluntarily phased out, you must, with a few exceptions, include a warning on products. In addition to the standard required information, labels must also have a warning using the following wording: 'the name or E number of the colour(s)' may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children'. The colours are:

• sunset yellow (E 110)
• quinoline yellow (E 104)
• carmoisine (E 122)
• allura red (E 129)
• tartrazine (E 102)
• ponceau 4R (E 124)

Read about the rules regarding food additives.

Although weight is not part of food labelling law, most food labels are required to indicate the weight of the product inside the package. Restrictions limiting the range of sizes that all pre-packaged goods could be packed in (with the exception of wines and spirits) no longer apply. Although goods can now be packed in any size, producers may choose to continue using traditional standard pack sizes.

Food claims

There are several regulations covering food claims:

• All claims made such as 'low fat' and 'helps maintain supple joints', must comply with European Commission (EC) Regulation No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims rules and be supported by scientific evidence. Claims must be on a permitted list and the product must meet set criteria. The Regulation also makes prescribed nutrition labelling compulsory on any product for which claims are made.
• You cannot claim food is 'healthy' or 'good for you' unless you can support it with approved evidence. If you add nutrition labelling you must use the prescribed format.
• Fortified food needs to comply with specific labelling requirements for foods with added vitamins or minerals.
• Fibre has specific definitions with which you must comply.
• Energy conversion factors apply when food manufacturers calculate values of fibre and erythritol (sweetener) for their products' energy declarations.
• There is legislation on the addition of vitamins and minerals and certain other substances to food. There are classifications for classifying herbal medicines, supplements, tonics for import and export.
• Claims for foods for specific groups and those with a specific nutritional function, including infant formula, follow-on formula and baby foods - must comply with special regulations.
• Medicinal claims for food are illegal - you must not claim that food can treat, prevent or cure any disease or medical condition.

Find out more about the requirements around nutritional and health claims.

Raw milk

Containers of raw milk should be marked 'This milk has not been heat-treated and may therefore contain organisms harmful to health'. Foods that consist of skimmed milk together with non-milk fat, or that can be used as milk substitutes, but are not intended for infants, should be prominently marked with a warning that they are not suitable for babies.

Misleading information

There are laws that indicate that food labelling should not mislead people about any aspect of a food product. This includes making false claims about its properties or suggesting that it has special characteristics when, in fact, all similar foods have those characteristics.

Fruit and vegetables

For fresh fruit and vegetables specific EC marketing and labelling standards now cover only these products:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly- and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Labelling required includes country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and for some products a size/count and/or a variety/type.

Many other fresh fruit and vegetables are covered by the EC general marketing standard and require country of origin labelling.

Format and placing of labelling information

Mandatory food information must be marked in a conspicuous place in such a way as to be easily visible, clearly legible and, where appropriate, indelible. It must not in any way be hidden, obscured, detracted from or interrupted by any other written or pictorial matter or any other intervening material. Voluntary food information must not be displayed to the detriment of the space available for mandatory food information.

This information must be printed on the package or label legibly, in characters using a font size where the x-height is equal to or greater than 1.2mm.

In the case of packaging or containers, the largest surface of which has an area of less than 80cm2, the x-height of the font size must be equal to or greater than 0.9mm.

If food products are sold or transported in outer packaging, it should include the name of the food, its durability indication, storage conditions and details of the food business operator.

Labelling standards outside the EU

If you are exporting food outside the EU and intend to make it available for sale, you can contact the country's embassy (specifically the Commercial Attaché) in the UK for help with checking if there are export restrictions, and any special labelling or packaging requirements. There are restrictions on food exports to the USA. Traders must register with the US Food and Drug Administration and must operate through a US-registered agent.

Rules of origin for imported and exported goods are used to determine the national or territorial provenance of goods for trade purposes.

Traders must comply with extra food labelling systems, health marks and Quantitative Ingredient Declarations (QUIDs) for goods that will be consumed in NI and the European Union (EU).

Health marks are applied to red meat carcasses and wholesale cuts to show that they are fit for human consumption. They are also an important way to ensure that meat products are traceable, so that if a food safety emergency occurs, problems can be quickly traced and, if necessary, foods withdrawn from the market. The health mark indicates that red meat carcasses and wholesale cuts have been subject to pre- and post-mortem inspection and are fit for human consumption at the time of inspection.

The health mark itself is an oval mark at least 6.5 centimetres by 4.5 centimetres high, and lists the following information in clearly legible type:

• the country in which the establishment that prepared the meat (slaughterhouse) is located
• the approval number of the slaughterhouse

The health mark may also include an indication of the official veterinarian who carried out the health inspection of the meat.

Other meat products that do not require a health mark are given an identification mark or 'ID mark' indicating their origin. The identification mark, applied by the food business operator, indicates that white meat, all cut meat and processed meat has been produced in accordance with the legal requirements. It should include the country of origin, the name of the establishment where the product was made and its approval number. Unlike health marks, ID marks do not indicate that any health inspection has been carried out.

Products of animal origin cannot be sold in Northern Ireland or the EU without either a health mark or an identification mark.

Health and identification marks

The Food Standards Agency has produced guidance on the health and identification marks that must be applied to food products of animal origin (POAO) - such as meat, egg products, fish, cheese and milk. Read about the use of health and identification marks on GB, NI, EU and non-EU markets.

Marketing standards are enforced by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

General marketing standards require most fruit and vegetables to be labelled with their country of origin. The standard requires produce to be intact, clean, sufficiently mature, free from rot and free from pests and pest damage. However, several common products are not covered by the general marketing standard.

They include:

• potatoes
• coconuts
• sugarcane
• sweetcorn
• wild mushrooms
• chilli peppers
• capers
• Brazil nuts
• bitter or shelled almonds
• shelled hazelnuts and walnuts
• olives
• pine nuts
• bananas
• saffron
• ginger
• peanuts
• sweet potatoes and yams

Specific marketing standards cover these products:

• fruits - apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, and table grapes
• vegetables and salads - lettuces, curly- and broad-leaved endives, sweet peppers and tomatoes

Labelling required includes country of origin, packer name and address, quality class and for some products a size/count and/or a variety/type.

If you import or export any of the fruit and vegetables listed above with specific marketing standards into or from Northern Ireland from or to any country outside of the European Union (EU) for selling fresh, you will require a Certificate of Conformity before your goods can be released into or from free circulation within the EU.

You do not require a certificate if the goods are to be used for processing, or for most other fruit, vegetables, nuts and herbs.

Traders in England and Wales must obtain a Certificate of Conformity through a Procedure for Electronic Application for Certificates (PEACH).

PEACH only applies to Scotland and Northern Ireland businesses whose imports arrive via either England or Wales. Importers from Northern Ireland should contact the DAERA Helpline on Tel 028 9052 4999 for further advice.

The packaging you choose for your food goods must provide enough information for handlers to move your goods safely and hygienically. You must also make sure that basic standards for all packaging used for importing and exporting are met.

See how to label and package goods being shipped out of the UK .

Three types of packaging are used for food:

• Transport or export packaging is the outermost layer, which protects the product during transit.
• Outer packaging is an intermediate layer, for example a box containing several bags, tins or pouches of product, which is sometimes used to display goods in a retail environment.
• Sales packaging is the immediate layer of packaging around the goods.

Packaging materials

There are a number of requirements that cover packaging for foods and other materials. As well as dealing with packaging in direct contact with food, the rules cover packaging capable of affecting food through the migration of its constituents into the food. Key rules include:

• Aluminium is considered safe for food contact, although it may not be suitable for highly acidic foods such as tomatoes and soft fruits.
• Plastics are subject to an overall migration limit of 10 milligrams per square decimetre of plastic surface area or per kilogram of food. There are also many specific migration limits that apply to individual substances contained in the regulations, whether they are plastics monomers or plastics additives that are used to achieve a particular technical effect. There are also rules about the use of declarations of legal compliance that apply to packaging moving up and down the supply chain. See more on plastics in food packaging.
• Other specific rules apply to regenerated cellulose film, ceramics, plasticisers in seals for food containers, certain epoxy derivatives used in coatings, adhesives and plastics when used in contact with food.
• Rules apply to contamination from chemicals, including mycotoxin (mould-related) contamination (in, for example, cereals and dried fruit) and radiological contamination from the use of pesticides and animal medicines, as well as nitrates from green, leafy vegetables.

The overriding rule is that any packaging materials must not allow their constituents to migrate into the food in amounts that could harm human health or affect the nature or quality of the food. For those that manufacture or convert packaging materials into particular food packaging, there are also rules about documenting good manufacturing practice.

Packaging that meets the requirements for food contact is labelled 'for food contact' and may also bear a specific symbol resembling a wine glass and a fork.

Read more about food packaging.

New types of packaging material that actively maintain or improve the condition of food, as opposed to simply containing it, are now available. Other materials, known as 'intelligent packaging', monitor the condition of the food. These active packaging materials must comply with regulations on food additives. The 'intelligent' packaging technologies should not be used to disguise problems such as spoilage. Information should be given on the package to help consumers use them safely.

Products of Animal Origin (POAO) are subject to extra packaging rules. You must ensure that your products have an identification mark applied before they go into transit. Depending on the product, you can apply the mark to:

• the wrapping
• the packaging
• a label affixed to the product, the wrapping or the packaging

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has further information on the legal requirements with which food packaging must comply. Read the FSA's guidance on food contact materials.

You are responsible for ensuring that all food products are fit for human consumption and not harmful to human or animal health. You can read more about food hygiene and trade in food hygiene and the law. The following checklist will help you ensure that any food products you plan to import into Northern Ireland meet the required standards.

• Do you have the names, addresses and other contact details of your suppliers?
• Have you ensured that food handling and hygiene procedures at the place of origin comply with EU standards? See import conditions.
• Do your products comply with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system?
• Can you ensure traceability of your products in the event of any problems? Is there a robust audit trail documenting the movement and handling of your goods?
• If you are importing products of animal origin (POAOs) from outside the EU, do they have a health certificate, and are they from an approved establishment in an approved country?
• Do you need to have any food samples tested, chemically or microbiologically, to make sure they comply with food safety requirements? This is a legal requirement for certain high risk products and it can provide reassurance that it is safe to import other specific food products.
• Is your chosen outer packaging robust enough to protect your food products against damage, contamination and other problems for the full length of their transit journey?
• Does your outer packaging carry all the information necessary to identify your goods, including the name and address of the supplier, the nature of the consignment and the country of origin?
• Does the manufacturer or freight forwarder transporting your goods comply with food handling and safety procedures? For instance, you may want to check that they are not over-fumigating the goods or that refrigerated vehicles keep food at the right temperature. see food safety and pesticides.
• Does the information given on the sales packaging comply with the relevant EU legislation? Does it include an ingredients list and, where applicable, additional information such as Quantitative Ingredient Declarations (QUIDs) and best-before or use-by dates and/or warning information? You can have this checked by a public analyst to ensure that it complies.
• Does your type of food require any extra checks? See the FSA guidance on imports and exports.
• Do you need an import licence? Some foods are banned, restricted or subject to quota. Such licences in the UK are issued by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). See import and export Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) goods.
• Have you allowed for paying import duty and VAT, as well as CAP levies and tariff quotas for your goods on entry into Northern Ireland? 

The government organisation with primary responsibility for developing policy and producing guidance on labelling and packaging is the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Find information on labelling and packaging.

You can also find information on classifying edible fruits, nuts and peel for import and export.

The FSA Food Alerts service gives information on problems associated with food, along with details of action to be taken. Food Alerts often cover the withdrawal of food products because of problems such as contamination, faulty packaging or incorrect labelling. 

If you have a trading query, you can contact the FSA at Email: helpline@food.gov.uk or Tel: 020 7276 8829.

Trade associations based in the UK can provide help and support to importers of specific food products.

Responsibility for enforcement is shared between central and local government bodies. Traders should be aware that failing to comply with labelling and packaging requirements is an offence. The FSA works through local authorities and port health authorities. In Northern Ireland, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has certain enforcement responsibilities.

Government organisations in third countries may be able to help you with importing, health certificates and other international trade issues:

• In the US, food safety is overseen by the Food Safety and Inspection Service - the Food and Drug Administration focuses on consumer health issues relating to food
• Food Standards Australia and New Zealand works as the food-safety equivalent agency of the UK's FSA in Australia and New Zealand.
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is the food-safety equivalent agency of the FSA in Canada.