Food labelling

About this service

Consumers should be able to rely on the information on food labels, and be confident that minimum standards are met. We are here to help businesses comply with the law and to tackle misdescriptions and sub-standard food.

Food labels are there to give us information on what we eat. There are regulations that prevent manufacturers from using misleading food labels.

What is required on packaging?

  • name of the food
  • list of ingredients
  • storage instructions
  • 'best before' or 'use by' date
  • name and address of manufacturer
  • nutritional information
  • quantity
  • quantitative ingredients declarations (QUID)
  • special claims

We understand that it is difficult for the consumer to check the quality of the food they buy so we:

  • Sample a wide range of food for analysis or examination to make sure the composition and labelling are accurate.
  • Use our expertise to target suspect foodstuffs available on the market.
  • Remain alert for instances of food substitution e.g. calling a food 'lobster' when it is in fact another species or perhaps selling a cheaper brand of whisky for a 'branded name'.
  • The quality of food you eat is our business so we regularly visit food premises and carry out full inspections, which include safety checks that no perishable food is on sale past its 'use by' date. This includes sales of food in shops, pubs, takeaways and restaurants.

We understand that businesses may have difficulty in understanding the wide range of legislation controlling the food market, so we use our expertise to offer advice and guidance in the following ways:

  • By sampling a wide range of food for analysis or examination to make sure the composition and labelling are accurate during inspections
  • Through business information leaflets, and
  • We also welcome calls from businesses about their particular problems

Contact Details

Our area offices:

Wiltshire Trading Standards Area Office
West & North Wiltshire
The Chestnuts
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
BA14 8JD
Tel: 01225 713557
Fax: 01225 713986

South and East Wiltshire Area Office
50 Bedwin Street
Salisbury
SP1 3UW
Tel: 01722 337459
Fax: 01722 339424


Email: tradingstandards@wiltshire.gov.uk

Last updated: 23 April 2009