Food Labelling Requirements for UK Small Producers: What Must Be on Your Label
By Brian Crocker · Published 12 July 2026 · Last reviewed 23 June 2026
The label is part of the product
Most small food producers think about the label last. They've spent weeks perfecting a recipe, sorted the packaging, listed on Etsy — and then the label is whatever they can fit on a sticker. That approach breaks the law, and enforcement is more common than people assume.
The Food Information Regulations 2014 (known as FIR, implementing the EU Food Information to Consumers Regulation as retained in UK law) set out what must appear on pre-packed food. For a small producer — someone making brownies for Etsy, jam for a market stall, granola for local delis — this regulation applies from your first sale.
This guide covers what must be on every pre-packed food label, what counts as "pre-packed," and the requirements most often missed by artisan producers.
What counts as "pre-packed"?
Pre-packed food is food put into packaging before being offered for sale, where the packaging encloses the food either fully or partly, and cannot be altered without opening or changing the packaging.
In practice: a jar of jam you fill, seal and label in your kitchen before taking it to a market = pre-packed. A sandwich you make to order at a market stall when a customer asks = not pre-packed.
The distinction matters because labelling requirements differ:
- Pre-packed: Full label required (all the information below)
- Pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS): Special rules apply — food you pack on the same premises before displaying it for sale, such as market stall brownies or Etsy granola bags, requires a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised (Natasha's Law, October 2021)
- Loose/open sale: Minimal requirements (food name + allergen information available on request)
Most artisan food sold on Etsy, packaged for market stalls or local shops, or sent by post is pre-packed.
The 14 things that must be on your label
Under the UK's food labelling rules, pre-packed food must display:
1. The name of the food
The legal name, not a brand name. "Salted Caramel Brownies" is a name, but the legal name must describe what the food actually is — "brownie" works; a made-up word doesn't unless explained. If you've given the food an invented name (like a brand or varietal name), the legal description must appear alongside it.
2. A list of ingredients
Listed in descending order by weight (as used in production), starting with the ingredient used in the greatest quantity. Water counts if it makes up more than 5% of the finished product.
Allergens must be emphasised within the ingredients list — typically in bold, italics, underlining, or a contrasting colour. So "chocolate chips (milk, cocoa butter, sugar, soya lecithin)" is correct format; burying an allergen in the same text weight is not.
3. Allergen information
The 14 allergens that must be declared whenever present:
celery, cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats), crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites (above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre), tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts)
Allergens must be emphasised every time they appear in the ingredients list.
4. Quantity of certain ingredients (QUID)
Where an ingredient is highlighted in the name (e.g., "Raspberry Jam") or shown in a picture on the label, the percentage of that ingredient by weight must be declared: "Raspberry (35%)".
5. Net quantity
The weight or volume of the food (excluding packaging). For foods over 5g or 5ml. In metric units: g, kg, ml, or l.
6. A date mark
Either a "best before" date (for food that is safe to eat after the date but whose quality may deteriorate) or a "use by" date (for food that may be unsafe after the date). "Use by" is legally required on foods that spoil in a way that's dangerous, not just unpleasant. Most shelf-stable artisan products (jam, biscuits, dried herbs) use "best before."
You can't label with both — one must apply. If you're unsure which, your local Environmental Health team can advise.
7. Storage conditions
Any special storage instructions: "refrigerate after opening," "keep in a cool dry place," "consume within 3 days of opening."
8. Name and address of the food business operator
The UK business responsible for the food — that's you. Your trading name and a UK address. A PO box is acceptable; a full premises address is not required.
9. Country or place of origin (in some cases)
Mandatory for meat, fish, certain shellfish, honey, olive oil, wine, and fresh fruit and vegetables. Not mandatory for processed foods or most artisan products — but if you include a claim ("made in Yorkshire") it must be accurate.
10. Instructions for use
Where it would be difficult to make correct use without guidance: "cook from frozen for 35 minutes at 180°C."
11. Alcoholic strength
For drinks over 1.2% ABV, the alcohol content must be stated as a percentage of volume (e.g., "Alc 5.2% vol").
12. Lot mark or batch number
Required for traceability. This can be the use-by date if that appears on the label. For most artisan producers, the batch number (a date-code or internal batch reference) is the simplest route. You must be able to trace which ingredients went into which batch.
13. Nutrition information (in most cases)
A nutrition declaration is required on most pre-packed food — either "big 8" format (energy, fat, saturates, carbohydrates, sugars, protein, salt) or a shorter version. Small-pack exemptions apply if the principal face of the label is under 25cm². Exemptions may also apply to very small businesses and micro-enterprises — the full conditions are set out in Annex V of the Food Information Regulations 2014; check the current rules directly or ask your local Environmental Health team.
14. Font size
All mandatory information must be in a font with a minimum x-height of 1.2mm — roughly equivalent to 6pt on most labels. Critical fields (name, allergens, date mark) should be more prominent.
Distance selling adds one more step
If you sell online — Etsy, Shopify, Not On The High Street — you must provide mandatory food information to the customer before they complete the purchase, not just on the package when it arrives. This means your listing description must include the allergens and key label information, not just the product name and photos.
Under the UK food labelling guidance: "All the mandatory information (except the durability date and freezing date) should be available before the purchase is concluded."
In practice: put the full ingredients list and allergen statement in your Etsy or Shopify product description. A link to a separate page isn't sufficient — the information needs to be visible before checkout.
The requirements most often missed by small producers
Based on what enforcement authorities most commonly flag:
Allergen emphasis missing. Allergens listed correctly but in the same weight as all other text — no bolding, no contrast. Legally non-compliant even when allergens are technically present in the list.
No business address. Listing a brand name but no UK address. The FIR requires a responsible operator's address.
Date mark wrong type. Using "best before" when the food actually requires "use by," or omitting a date mark entirely. Both are enforcement risks.
Online listings missing allergens. Physical product labelled correctly, but Etsy listing has only photos and no ingredient list. Distance selling rules apply.
PPDS confusion. Brownies wrapped before going to a market = PPDS (not just pre-packed), which requires a full ingredients list under Natasha's Law rules since October 2021. This applies even when the packaging is simple — a cellophane bag with a sticker is PPDS if you packed it before the customer arrived.
Putting it into practice
A compliant label for a jar of mixed-nut granola might look like:
Artisan Granola
Ingredients: oats (29%), mixed nuts (27%) [almonds, cashews, hazelnuts], honey (20%), rapeseed oil, dried cranberries, sesame seeds (3%), sea salt
Allergens: Contains nuts, sesame, cereals containing gluten (oats). May contain peanuts.
Best before: see base
Net weight: 350g
Produced by: [Your Business Name], [Your UK Address]
Store in a cool dry place.
Track allergen status for every ingredient at the point you buy it — that data is also what you need for any allergen query a customer raises, and it's the foundation of the records a local authority would expect to see if they visited.
This post is general guidance on UK food labelling rules based on the Food Information Regulations 2014. It is not legal advice. For product-specific questions — particularly around allergen declarations, PPDS classification, or nutrition labelling exemptions — contact your local Environmental Health team or a food safety consultant.