Components of a Food Label

There are many components of a food label that aim to protect consumers from fraud and promote the health of consumers. Codex recommends that key types of information about the exact nature and characteristics of packaged foods be mandatory on labels. By outlining provisions requiring this information in food labelling, legislation can give authority to address fraudulent practices in food labelling.

The components discussed below indicate the minimum information which should be mandatory on a food package label. Revision of national legislation may be required to achieve this standard of labelling.

Food Identity:

Information on the identity of the food must be on the label to help consumers understand exactly what they are purchasing. This includes the food name, the amount of food, contact information for the food manufacturer, country of origin and lot number.

Ingredient Lists:

The ingredients list informs consumers of the substances that were used to make the food product. Except for single ingredient foods (for example, milk, salt), a list of ingredients with specific names is recommended to be mandatory on the food label.

If a food is dehydrated or condensed, the ingredients may be listed in order of proportion in the reconstituted product. A statement “ingredients of the product when prepared in accordance with the directions on the label” must be included.

When general class names can be more informative, they may be used in the ingredients ist, for example ‘sugar’ can be used to describe all types of sucrose or ‘milk protein’ to describe milk products containing at least 50% protein.

Quantitative Ingredient Declaration (QUID):

In certain circumstances, it is necessary to state on the label, the quantity of an ingredient which corresponds to the quantity of the ingredient(s) in the finished product. The quantity must be declared in percentage terms and should appear in or next to the name of the food or be in the list of ingredients. This is known as quantitative ingredient declaration or QUID. QUID is designed to help consumers to compare the composition of similar products on ingredients that are likely to influence their choice.

It is recommended that QUID be used on the label in the following situations:

1) when the ingredient is included in the name of the food such as ‘meat pastry’ where the meat must be quantified;

2) when the ingredient is emphasized in words, pictures or graphics such as ‘with cheese’ ; and

3) when the ingredient is not included in the name of the food or emphasized on the label but is essential to characterize the food and is expected to be present in the food by consumers, the content of the expected ingredient must be quantified.

Food Additives:

The Codex General Standard for Food Additives defines food additives as:

Any substance not normally consumed as a food by itself and not normally used as a typical ingredient of the food, whether or not it has nutritive value, the intentional addition of which to food for a technological (including organoleptic) purpose in the manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packing, packaging, transport or holding of such food results, or may be reasonably expected to result (directly or indirectly), in it or its by-products becoming a component of or otherwise affecting the characteristics of such foods. The term does not include contaminants or substances added to food for maintaining or improving nutritional qualities.

The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) is an international expert scientific committee administered jointly by the FAO and the WHO which evaluates the safety and develops the specifications of food additives. JECFA provides its scientific advice answering to requests from the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA). The CCFA defines the technological need for a food additive and after receiving JECFA’s safety evaluation sets the levels of use for food adddives and develops the general standard as the authoritative source on food additives that are accepted internationally. The CCFA collaborates with the relevant Codex commodity committees on use levels, categories and technological need. The CCFA and CCFL develop labelling standards for food additives.

For information about specific food additives see the Codex General Standard and the Codex International Numbering System. More information on JECFA and a database on the output of JECFA’s work can be found on FAO’s and WHO’s websites listed in the resource section.

Labelling Allergenic Ingredients:

Food allergies occur when there is an abnormal response of the immune system to certain food components. Some allergic reactions may be severe, even fatal. Without information, hypersensitive consumers may not be able to recognize allergenic foods when they are found in mixed food products. Further, the technical terms used to describe ingredients of processed foods may not be understood by consumers. Therefore, when foods contain ingredients made from allergenic foods, the source of the ingredients should be stated in simple language.

Although more than 200 allergens have been identified, regulatory agencies around the world generally agree on the common foods that must be included in the allergy lists. According to the Codex General Standard on Labelling of Prepackaged Food, the major categories of foods that should be listed on the label are:

• Cereals containing gluten; that is, wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt or their hybridized strains and products of these;
• Crustacea and products of these;
• Eggs and egg products;
• Fish and fish products;
• Peanuts, soybeans and products of these;
• Milk and milk products (lactose included);
• Tree nuts and nut products; and
• Sulphite in concentrations of 10 mg/kg or more.

The rationale for including specific foods on allergen lists and for exempting other allergenic foods may vary; therefore, each country should assess the risk of food allergies in their national population when developing the list of allergens to be labelled. In addition, precautionary labels may be needed because different food products may be manufactured in the same location and traces of allergenic foods can appear in other foods. For example, some products contain a warning “May contain milk products” “Manufactured in plant using nuts”.

Date Marking:

Date marking is one of the oldest and most widespread types of information found on food labels. By providing a date mark, the food manufacturer is advising subsequent food chain operators, mainly retailers, distributors, importers and consumers on the appropriate shelf-life of the food. Date marks are determined by the shelf-life of a product after which time the quality or safety of the product may be compromised. Date marking is required on packages of perishable and semi - perishable foods and may be used on products with a long shelf-life.

Date marking serves multiple purposes and is often presented in different ways on packages, which may be specific to the country or region. Different terms have included, but are not limited to Use by, Best before, Sell by, Date of manufacture. The format of the label can vary as well. For food products with a durability of three months or less the date mark often includes the day, month, and year. Retailers and food outlets use this information to manage stocks and manufacturers use the information (in addition to other information on the label) to trace and recall products. Many consumers use date marking to determine whether the food will meet their expectations in terms of quality and whether the product is safe to eat.

With multiple types of date marking, there can be misunderstanding of the label. This confusion can lead to food waste if a consumer throws away food which could have been eaten safely even though the “best by” date has passed. Conversely, lack of clarity may cause a consumer to take a safety risk if they eat a food which should have been discarded because the “use by” date has passed.

General considerations for developing a date marking label policy:

Improvements in date marking can be made by assessing the food products found in the local market (domestic and imported), gaining feedback from food manufacturers and consumers, and by considering the requirements for food products that will be exported to other countries. Policy-makers can also gain important guidance from Codex provisions on date marking, as well as considering approaches from other countries. It is important to note that date marking is based on the assumption that the foods are properly stored from the time they leave the manufacturer to the time the food is served to eat. Therefore, the label should outline any special storage conditions to enable the transporters, sellers and consumers to maintain the quality of the product. In addition to the date of minimum durability, any special conditions for the storage of the food must also be declared on the label. For example, ‘refrigerate after opening’ or ‘store in a cool dry place’. The label should contain instructions on how to use the product to enable the consumer to make appropriate use of the food, such as cooking, reheating, preparation or reconstitution instructions or declarations such as ‘not suitable’.

Key questions for designing the date marking regulations include:

• Which food products must have date marking?
• Will the date mark be used to convey whether a food is safe to consume?
• Will the date mark be used to inform the consumer that the quality of the food may deteriorate after the date, but it is still possible to consume the product safely?
• What is the recommended range of date marks admissible in the country (for all foods including imports)?
• What should be the recommended language/terminology to present the date mark and what is the recommended format?
• What are importing countries’ requirements for food exports from the country?
• How much discretion will the food manufacturer have in deciding about the type of date mark and the dates used?
• What specific technical information is needed to determine the date marking for different categories of products?
• What are the typical conditions for storing food in the home in the country?
• How will the public be informed and educated about the meaning of the date mark?
• Is research needed to understand the ways that date marking is used and understood in the country?

Codex date marking provisions/requirements:

In 2016, the Codex Alimentarius Commission updated the section on date marking in the General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods (Codex Stan 1-1985) (Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, 2016). The main features of this standard are provided below.

“Date of Manufacture” means the date on which the food becomes the product as described. This is not an indication of the durability of the product.

“Date of Packaging” means the date on which the food is placed in the immediate container in which it will be ultimately sold. This is not an indication of the durability of the product.

“Best Before Date”or“Best Quality Before Date” means the date which signifies the end of the period, under any stated storage conditions, during which the unopened product will remain fully marketable and will retain any specific qualities for which implied or express claims have been made. However, beyond the date the food may still be acceptable for consumption.

“Use-by Date” or “Expiration Date” means the date which signifies the end of the period under any stated storage conditions, after which the product should not be sold or consumed due to safety and quality reasons.

The date shall be introduced by the words:

“Use-by”or “ExpirationDate” or “Bestbefore ” or “Best Quality Before ” as applicable where the day is indicated; or “Use-by end ” or “expiration date ” or “Best before ”; or “Best Quality Before ” as applicable in other cases.

The day and year shall be declared by uncoded numbers with the year to be denoted by 2 or 4 digits, and the month shall be declared by letters or characters or numbers. Where only numbers are used to declare the date or where the year is expressed as only two digits, the competent authority should determine whether to require the sequence of the day, month, year, be given by appropriate abbreviations accompanying the date mark (for example, DD/MM/YYYY or YYYY/DD/MM).

A date mark shall not be required for a food if the safety is not compromised and quality does not deteriorate because of the preservative nature of the food is such that it cannot support microbial growth (for example, alcohol, salt, acidity, low water activity). In addition, a date mark is not required where the deterioration is evident to the consumer; where the key/organoleptic quality aspects of the food are not lost; and where the food is intended to be consumed within 24 hours of its manufacture. In such cases, the “Date of Manufacture” or the “Date of Packaging” may be provided.

Any special conditions for the storage of the food shall be declared on the label if where they are required to support the integrity of the food.