REGULATION (EU) No 1169/2011 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL  
of 25 October 2011  
on the provision of food information to consumers, amending Regulations (EC) No 1924/2006 and 
(EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Commission 
Directive 87/250/EEC, Council Directive 90/496/EEC, Commission Directive 1999/10/EC, 
Directive 2000/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, Commission Directives 
2002/67/EC and 2008/5/EC and Commission Regulation (EC) No 608/2004  
(Text with EEA relevance)  
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE 
EUROPEAN UNION,  
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European 
Union, and in particular Article 114 thereof,  
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,  
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and 
Social Committee (  1 ), 
Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (  2 ), 
Whereas:  
(1) Article 169 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the 
European Union (TFEU) provides that the Union is to 
contribute to the attainment of a high level of 
consumer protection by the measures it adopts 
pursuant to Article 114 thereof.  
(2) The free movement of safe and wholesome food is an 
essential aspect of the internal market and contributes 
significantly to the health and well-being of citizens, 
and to their social and economic interests.  
(3) In order to achieve a high level of health protection for 
consumers and to guarantee their right to information, it 
should be ensured that consumers are appropriately 
informed as regards the food they consume. Consumers’ 
choices can be influenced by, inter alia, health, economic, 
environmental, social and ethical considerations.  (4) According to Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 
2002 laying down the general principles and 
requirements of food law, establishing the European 
Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in 
matters of food safety (  3 ) it is a general principle of 
food law to provide a basis for consumers to make 
informed choices in relation to food they consume and 
to prevent any practices that may mislead the consumer.  
(5) Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of 
the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business- 
to-consumer commercial practices in the internal 
market (  4 ) covers certain aspects of the provision of 
information to consumers specifically to prevent 
misleading actions and omissions of information. The 
general principles on unfair commercial practices 
should be complemented by specific rules concerning 
the provision of food information to consumers.  
(6) Union rules on food labelling applicable to all foods are 
laid down in Directive 2000/13/EC of the European 
Parliament and of the Council of 20 March 2000 on 
the approximation of the laws of the Member States 
relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of 
foodstuffs (  5 ). The majority of the provisions laid down in 
that Directive date back to 1978 and should therefore be 
updated.  
(7) Council Directive 90/496/EEC of 24 September 1990 on 
nutrition labelling for foodstuffs (  6 ) lays down rules on 
the content and presentation of nutrition information on 
prepacked foods. According to those rules, the inclusion 
of nutrition information is voluntary unless a nutrition- 
related claim is made concerning the food. The majority 
of the provisions laid down in that Directive date back to 
1990 and should therefore be updated.  
(8) The general labelling requirements are complemented by 
a number of provisions applicable to all foods in 
particular circumstances or to certain categories of 
foods. In addition, there are a number of specific rules 
which are applicable to specific foods.EN L 304/18 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011  
( 1 ) OJ C 77, 31.3.2009, p. 81.  
( 2 ) Position of the European Parliament of 16 June 2010 (OJ C 236 E, 
12.8.2011, p. 187) and position of the Council at first reading of 
21 February 2011 (OJ C 102 E, 2.4.2011, p. 1). Position of the 
European Parliament of 6 July 2011 (not yet published in the 
Official Journal) and decision of the Council of 29 September 2011.  ( 3 ) OJ L 31, 1.2.2002, p. 1.  
( 4 ) OJ L 149, 11.6.2005, p. 22.  
( 5 ) OJ L 109, 6.5.2000, p. 29.  
( 6 ) OJ L 276, 6.10.1990, p. 40.(9) While the original objectives and the core components of 
the current labelling legislation are still valid, it is 
necessary to streamline it in order to ensure easier 
compliance and greater clarity for stakeholders and to 
modernise it in order to take account of new devel ­
opments in the field of food information. This Regulation 
will both serve the interests of the internal market by 
simplifying the law, ensuring legal certainty and reducing 
administrative burden, and benefit citizens by requiring 
clear, comprehensible and legible labelling of foods.  
(10) The general public has an interest in the relationship 
between diet and health and in the choice of an appro ­
priate diet to suit individual needs. The Commission 
White Paper of 30 May 2007 on a Strategy for Europe 
on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity related health 
issues (the ‘Commission White Paper’) noted that 
nutrition labelling is one important method of 
informing consumers about the composition of foods 
and of helping them to make an informed choice. The 
Commission Communication of 13 March 2007 entitled 
‘EU Consumer Policy strategy 2007-2013 — 
Empowering consumers, enhancing their welfare, 
effectively protecting them’ underlined that allowing 
consumers to make an informed choice is essential 
both to effective competition and consumer welfare. 
Knowledge of the basic principles of nutrition and appro ­
priate nutrition information on foods would contribute 
significantly towards enabling the consumer to make 
such an informed choice. Education and information 
campaigns are an important mechanism for improving 
consumer understanding of food information.  
(11) In order to enhance legal certainty and ensure rationality 
and consistency of enforcement, it is appropriate to 
repeal Directives 90/496/EEC and 2000/13/EC and to 
replace them by a single regulation which ensures 
certainty for consumers and other stakeholders and 
reduces the administrative burden.  
(12) For the sake of clarity, it is appropriate to repeal and 
include in this Regulation other horizontal acts, namely 
Commission Directive 87/250/EEC of 15 April 1987 on 
the indication of alcoholic strength by volume in the 
labelling of alcoholic beverages for sale to the ultimate 
consumer (  1 ), Commission Directive 1999/10/EC of 
8 March 1999 providing for derogations from the 
provisions of Article 7 of Council Directive 79/112/EEC 
as regards the labelling of foodstuffs (  2 ), Commission 
Directive 2002/67/EC of 18 July 2002 on the labelling 
of foodstuffs containing quinine, and of foodstuffs 
containing caffeine (  3 ), Commission Regulation (EC) 
No 608/2004 of 31 March 2004 concerning the 
labelling of foods and food ingredients with added 
phytosterols, phytosterol esters, phytostanols and/or 
phytostanol esters (  4 ) and Commission Directive 
2008/5/EC of 30 January 2008 concerning the compulsory indication on the labelling of certain 
foodstuffs of particulars other than those provided for 
in Directive 2000/13/EC of the European Parliament 
and of the Council (  5 ). 
(13) It is necessary to set common definitions, principles, 
requirements and procedures so as to form a clear 
framework and a common basis for Union and 
national measures governing food information.  
(14) In order to follow a comprehensive and evolutionary 
approach to the information provided to consumers 
relating to food they consume, there should be a broad 
definition of food information law covering rules of a 
general and specific nature as well as a broad definition 
of food information covering information provided also 
by other means than the label.  
(15) Union rules should apply only to undertakings, the 
concept of which implies a certain continuity of activities 
and a certain degree of organisation. Operations such as 
the occasional handling and delivery of food, the serving 
of meals and the selling of food by private persons, for 
example at charity events, or at local community fairs 
and meetings, should not fall within the scope of this 
Regulation.  
(16) Food information law should provide sufficient flexibility 
to be able to keep up to date with new information 
requirements of consumers and ensure a balance 
between the protection of the internal market and the 
differences in the perception of consumers in the 
Member States.  
(17) The prime consideration for requiring mandatory food 
information should be to enable consumers to identify 
and make appropriate use of a food and to make choices 
that suit their individual dietary needs. With this aim, 
food business operators should facilitate the accessibility 
of that information to the visually impaired.  
(18) In order to enable food information law to adapt to 
consumers’ changing needs for information, any 
considerations about the need for mandatory food 
information should also take account of the widely 
demonstrated interest of the majority of consumers in 
the disclosure of certain information.  
(19) New mandatory food information requirements should 
however only be established if and where necessary, in 
accordance with the principles of subsidiarity, propor ­
tionality and sustainability.EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/19  
( 1 ) OJ L 113, 30.4.1987, p. 57.  
( 2 ) OJ L 69, 16.3.1999, p. 22.  
( 3 ) OJ L 191, 19.7.2002, p. 20.  
( 4 ) OJ L 97, 1.4.2004, p. 44.  (  5 ) OJ L 27, 31.1.2008, p. 12.(20) Food information law should prohibit the use of 
information that would mislead the consumer in 
particular as to the characteristics of the food, food 
effects or properties, or attribute medicinal properties 
to foods. To be effective, that prohibition should also 
apply to the advertising and presentation of foods.  
(21) In order to prevent a fragmentation of the rules 
concerning the responsibility of food business operators 
with respect to food information it is appropriate to 
clarify the responsibilities of food business operators in 
this area. That clarification should be in accordance with 
the responsibilities regarding the consumer referred to in 
Article 17 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002.  
(22) A list should be drawn up of all mandatory information 
which should in principle be provided for all foods 
intended for the final consumer and mass caterers. That 
list should maintain the information that is already 
required under existing Union legislation given that it 
is generally considered as a valuable  acquis  in respect of 
consumer information.  
(23) In order to take account of changes and developments in 
the field of food information, provisions should be made 
to empower the Commission to enable certain particulars 
to be made available through alternative means. Consul ­
tation with stakeholders should facilitate timely and well- 
targeted changes of food information requirements.  
(24) When used in the production of foods and still present 
therein, certain ingredients or other substances or 
products (such as processing aids) can cause allergies or 
intolerances in some people, and some of those allergies 
or intolerances constitute a danger to the health of those 
concerned. It is important that information on the 
presence of food additives, processing aids and other 
substances or products with a scientifically proven 
allergenic or intolerance effect should be given to 
enable consumers, particularly those suffering from a 
food allergy or intolerance, to make informed choices 
which are safe for them.  
(25) In order to inform consumers of the presence of 
engineered nanomaterials in food, it is appropriate to 
provide for a definition of engineered nanomaterials. 
Taking into account the possibility of food containing 
or consisting of engineered nanomaterials being a novel 
food, the appropriate legislative framework for that defi ­
nition should be considered in the context of the 
upcoming review of Regulation (EC) No 258/97 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 
1997 concerning novel foods and novel food 
ingredients (  1 ). (26) Food labels should be clear and understandable in order 
to assist consumers who want to make better-informed 
food and dietary choices. Studies show that easy legibility 
is an important element in maximising the possibility for 
labelled information to influence its audience and that 
illegible product information is one of the main causes 
of consumer dissatisfaction with food labels. Therefore, a 
comprehensive approach should be developed in order to 
take into account all aspects related to legibility, 
including font, colour and contrast.  
(27) In order to ensure the provision of food information, it is 
necessary to consider all ways of supplying food to 
consumers, including selling food by means of distance 
communication. Although it is clear that any food 
supplied through distance selling should meet the same 
information requirements as food sold in shops, it is 
necessary to clarify that in such cases the relevant 
mandatory food information should also be available 
before the purchase is concluded.  
(28) The technology used in the freezing of foods has 
developed significantly during recent decades and has 
become widely used both to improve the circulation of 
goods on the Union internal market, and to reduce food 
safety risks. However, the freezing and later defrosting of 
certain foods, especially meat and fishery products, limits 
their possible further use and may also have an effect on 
their safety, taste and physical quality. Conversely, for 
other products, especially butter, freezing has no such 
effects. Therefore, where a product has been defrosted, 
the final consumer should be appropriately informed of 
its condition.  
(29) The indication of the country of origin or of the place of 
provenance of a food should be provided whenever its 
absence is likely to mislead consumers as to the true 
country of origin or place of provenance of that 
product. In all cases, the indication of country of origin 
or place of provenance should be provided in a manner 
which does not deceive the consumer and on the basis of 
clearly defined criteria which ensure a level playing field 
for industry and improve consumers’ understanding of 
the information related to the country of origin or 
place of provenance of a food. Such criteria should not 
apply to indications related to the name or address of the 
food business operator.  
(30) In some cases, food business operators may want to 
indicate the origin of a food on a voluntary basis to 
draw consumers’ attention to the qualities of their 
product. Such indications should also comply with 
harmonised criteria.EN L 304/20 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011  
( 1 ) OJ L 43, 14.2.1997, p. 1.(31) The indication of origin is currently mandatory for beef 
and beef products (  1 ) in the Union following the bovine 
spongiform encephalopathy crisis and it has created 
consumer expectations. The impact assessment of the 
Commission confirms that the origin of meat appears 
to be consumers’ prime concern. There are other meats 
widely consumed in the Union, such as swine, sheep, 
goat and poultrymeat. It is therefore appropriate to 
impose a mandatory declaration of origin for those 
products. The specific origin requirements could differ 
from one type of meat to another according to the char ­
acteristics of the animal species. It is appropriate to 
provide for the establishment through implementing 
rules of mandatory requirements that could vary from 
one type of meat to another taking into account the 
principle of proportionality and the administrative 
burden for food business operators and enforcement 
authorities.  
(32) Mandatory origin provisions have been developed on the 
basis of vertical approaches for instance for honey (  2 ), 
fruit and vegetables (  3 ), fish (  4 ), beef and beef products (  5 ) 
and olive oil (  6 ). There is a need to explore the possibility 
to extend mandatory origin labelling for other foods. It is 
therefore appropriate to request the Commission to 
prepare reports covering the following foods: types of 
meat other than beef, swine, sheep, goat and poul ­
trymeat; milk; milk used as an ingredient in dairy 
products; meat used as an ingredient; unprocessed 
foods; single-ingredient products; and ingredients that 
represent more than 50 % of a food. Milk being one of 
the products for which an indication of origin is 
considered of particular interest, the Commission report 
on this product should be made available as soon as 
possible. Based on the conclusions of such reports, the 
Commission may submit proposals to modify the 
relevant Union provisions or may take new initiatives, 
where appropriate, on a sectoral basis.  
(33) The Union’s non-preferential rules of origin are laid 
down in Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 of 
12 October 1992 establishing the Community Customs 
Code (  7 ) and its implementing provisions in Commission 
Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 of 2 July 1993 laying 
down provisions for the implementation of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 establishing the 
Community Customs Code (  8 ). Determination of the 
country of origin of foods will be based on those rules, 
which are well known to food business operators and 
administrations and should ease their implementation.  
(34) The nutrition declaration for a food concerns 
information on the presence of energy and certain 
nutrients in foods. The mandatory provision of 
nutrition information on packaging should assist 
nutrition actions as part of public health policies which 
could involve the provision of scientific recommen ­
dations for nutrition education for the public and 
support informed food choices.  
(35) To facilitate the comparison of products in different 
package sizes, it is appropriate to retain the requirement 
that the mandatory nutrition declaration should refer to 
100 g or 100 ml amounts and, if appropriate, to allow 
additional portion-based declarations. Therefore, where 
food is prepacked and individual portions or 
consumption units are identified, a nutrition declaration 
per portion or per consumption unit, in addition to the 
expression per 100 g or per 100 ml, should be allowed. 
Furthermore, in order to provide comparable indications 
relating to portions or consumption units, the 
Commission should be empowered to adopt rules on 
the expression of the nutrition declaration per portion 
or per consumption unit for specific categories of food.  
(36) The Commission White Paper highlighted certain nutri ­
tional elements of importance to public health such as 
saturated fat, sugars or sodium. Therefore, it is appro ­
priate that the requirements on the mandatory provision 
of nutrition information should take into account such 
elements.  
(37) Since one of the objectives pursued by this Regulation is 
to provide a basis to the final consumer for making 
informed choices, it is important to ensure in this 
respect that the final consumer easily understands the 
information provided on the labelling. Therefore it is 
appropriate to use on the labelling the term ‘salt’ 
instead of the corresponding term of the nutrient 
‘sodium’.  
(38) In the interest of consistency and coherence of Union 
law the voluntary inclusion of nutrition or health 
claims on food labels should be in accordance with the 
Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 
on nutrition and health claims made on foods (  9 ).EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/21  
( 1 ) Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council of 17 July 2000 establishing a system for the identifi ­
cation and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling 
of beef and beef products (OJ L 204, 11.8.2000, p. 1).  
( 2 ) Council Directive 2001/110/EC of 20 December 2001 relating to 
honey (OJ L 10, 12.1.2002, p. 47).  
( 3 ) Commission Regulation (EC) No 1580/2007 of 21 December 2007 
laying down implementing rules of Council Regulations (EC) 
No 2200/96, (EC) No 2201/96 and (EC) No 1182/2007 in the 
fruit and vegetable sector (OJ L 350, 31.12.2007, p. 1).  
( 4 ) Council Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 of 17 December 1999 on the 
common organisation of the markets in fishery and aquaculture 
products (OJ L 17, 21.1.2000, p. 22).  
( 5 ) Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000.  
( 6 ) Commission Regulation (EC) No 1019/2002 of 13 June 2002 on 
marketing standards for olive oil (OJ L 155, 14.6.2002, p. 27).  
( 7 ) OJ L 302, 19.10.1992, p. 1.  ( 8 ) OJ L 253, 11.10.1993, p. 1.  
( 9 ) OJ L 404, 30.12.2006, p. 9.(39) To avoid unnecessary burdens on food business 
operators, it is appropriate to exempt from the 
mandatory provision of a nutrition declaration certain 
categories of foods that are unprocessed or for which 
nutrition information is not a determining factor for 
consumers’ purchasing decisions, or for which the 
packaging is too small to accommodate the mandatory 
labelling requirements, unless the obligation to provide 
such information is provided for under other Union 
rules.  
(40) Taking into account the specific nature of alcoholic 
beverages, it is appropriate to invite the Commission to 
analyse further the information requirements for those 
products. Therefore, the Commission should, taking 
into account the need to ensure coherence with other 
relevant Union policies, produce a report within 3 
years of the entry into force of this Regulation 
concerning the application of the requirements to 
provide information on ingredients and nutrition 
information to alcoholic beverages. In addition, taking 
into account the resolution of the European Parliament 
of 5 September 2007 on an European Union strategy to 
support Member States in reducing alcohol-related 
harm (  1 ), the opinion of the European Economic and 
Social Committee (  2 ), the work of the Commission, and 
general public concern about alcohol-related harm 
especially to young and vulnerable consumers, the 
Commission, after consultation with stakeholders and 
the Member States, should consider the need for a defi ­
nition of beverages such as ‘alcopops’, which are 
specifically targeted at young people. The Commission 
should also, if appropriate, propose specific requirements 
relating to alcoholic beverages in the context of this 
Regulation.  
(41) To appeal to the average consumer and to serve the 
informative purpose for which it is introduced, and 
given the current level of knowledge on the subject of 
nutrition, the nutrition information provided should be 
simple and easily understood. To have the nutrition 
information partly in the principal field of vision, 
commonly known as the ‘front of pack’, and partly on 
another side on the pack, for instance the ‘back of pack’, 
might confuse consumers. Therefore, the nutrition 
declaration should be in the same field of vision. In 
addition, on a voluntary basis, the most important 
elements of the nutrition information may be repeated 
in the principal field of vision, in order to help 
consumers to easily see the essential nutrition 
information when purchasing foods. A free choice as 
to the information that could be repeated might 
confuse consumers. Therefore it is necessary to clarify 
which information may be repeated.  
(42) In order to encourage food business operators to provide 
on a voluntary basis the information contained in the nutrition declaration for foods such as alcoholic 
beverages and non-prepacked foods that may be 
exempted from the nutrition declaration, the possibility 
should be given to declare only limited elements of the 
nutrition declaration. It is nevertheless appropriate to 
clearly establish the information that may be provided 
on a voluntary basis in order to avoid misleading the 
consumer by the free choice of the food business 
operator.  
(43) There have been recent developments in the expression 
of the nutrition declaration, other than per 100 g, per 
100 ml or per portion, or in its presentation, through the 
use of graphical forms or symbols, by some Member 
States and organisations in the food sector. Such addi ­
tional forms of expression and presentation may help 
consumers to better understand the nutrition declaration. 
However, there is insufficient evidence across all the 
Union on how the average consumer understands and 
uses the alternative forms of expression or presentation 
of the information. Therefore, it is appropriate to allow 
for different forms of expression and presentation to be 
developed on the basis of criteria established in this 
Regulation and to invite the Commission to prepare a 
report regarding the use of those forms of expression and 
presentation, their effect on the internal market and the 
advisability of further harmonisation.  
(44) In order to assist the Commission in producing that 
report, Member States should provide the Commission 
with the relevant information on the use of additional 
forms of expression and presentation of the nutrition 
declaration on the market in their territory. In order to 
do so, Member States should be empowered to request 
food business operators placing on the market in their 
territory foods bearing additional forms of expression or 
presentation to notify national authorities of the use of 
such additional forms and of the relevant justifications 
regarding the fulfilment of the requirements set out in 
this Regulation.  
(45) It is desirable to ensure a certain level of consistency in 
the development of additional forms of expression and 
presentation of the nutrition declaration. It is therefore 
appropriate to promote the constant exchange and 
sharing of best practices and experience between 
Member States and with the Commission and to 
promote the participation of stakeholders in such 
exchanges.  
(46) The declaration in the same field of vision of the 
amounts of nutritional elements and comparative 
indicators in an easily recognisable form to enable an 
assessment of the nutritional properties of a food 
should be considered in its entirety as part of the 
nutrition declaration and should not be treated as a 
group of individual claims.EN L 304/22 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011  
( 1 ) OJ C 187 E, 24.7.2008, p. 160.  
( 2 ) OJ C 77, 31.3.2009, p. 81.(47) Experience shows that in many cases voluntary food 
information is provided to the detriment of the clarity 
of the mandatory food information. Therefore, criteria 
should be provided to help food business operators 
and enforcement authorities to strike a balance between 
the provision of mandatory and voluntary food 
information.  
(48) Member States should retain the right, depending on 
local practical conditions and circumstances, to lay 
down rules in respect of the provision of information 
concerning non-prepacked foods. Although in such 
cases the consumer demand for other information is 
limited, information on potential allergens is considered 
very important. Evidence suggests that most food allergy 
incidents can be traced back to non-prepacked food. 
Therefore information on potential allergens should 
always be provided to the consumer.  
(49) As regards the matters specifically harmonised by this 
Regulation, Member States should not be able to adopt 
national provisions unless authorised by Union law. This 
Regulation should not prevent Member States from 
adopting national measures concerning matters not 
specifically harmonised by this Regulation. However, 
such national measures should not prohibit, impede or 
restrict the free movement of goods that are in 
conformity with this Regulation.  
(50) Union consumers show an increasing interest in the 
implementation of the Union animal welfare rules at 
the time of slaughter, including whether the animal 
was stunned before slaughter. In this respect, a study 
on the opportunity to provide consumers with the 
relevant information on the stunning of animals should 
be considered in the context of a future Union strategy 
for the protection and welfare of animals.  
(51) Food information rules should be able to adapt to a 
rapidly changing social, economic and technological 
environment.  
(52) Member States should carry out official controls in order 
to enforce compliance with this Regulation in accordance 
with Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on 
official controls performed to ensure the verification of 
compliance with feed and food law, animal health and 
animal welfare rules (  1 ). 
(53) References to Directive 90/496/EEC in Regulation (EC) 
No 1924/2006 and in Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 
of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
20 December 2006 on the addition of vitamins and 
minerals and of certain other substances to foods (  2 ) should be updated to take this Regulation into account. 
Regulations (EC) No 1924/2006 and (EC) No 1925/2006 
should therefore be amended accordingly.  
(54) Irregular and frequent updating of food information 
requirements may impose considerable administrative 
burdens on food businesses, especially small and 
medium-sized enterprises. It is therefore appropriate to 
ensure that measures that may be adopted by the 
Commission in exercising the powers conferred by this 
Regulation apply on the same day in any calendar year 
following an appropriate transitional period. Derogations 
from this principle should be permitted in cases of 
urgency where the purpose of the measures concerned 
is the protection of human health.  
(55) In order to enable food business operators to adapt the 
labelling of their products to the new requirements 
introduced by this Regulation, it is important to 
provide for appropriate transitional periods for the appli ­
cation of this Regulation.  
(56) Given the substantial changes in the requirements related 
to nutrition labelling introduced by this Regulation, in 
particular changes in relation to the content of the 
nutrition declaration, it is appropriate to authorise food 
business operators to anticipate the application of this 
Regulation.  
(57) Since the objectives of this Regulation cannot be 
sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can 
therefore be better achieved at Union level, the Union 
may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of 
subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on 
European Union. In accordance with the principle of 
proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Regulation 
does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve 
those objectives.  
(58) The power to adopt delegated acts in accordance with 
Article 290 TFEU should be delegated to the 
Commission in respect of, inter alia, the availability of 
certain mandatory particulars by means other than on 
the package or on the label, the list of foods not 
required to bear a list of ingredients, the re-examination 
of the list of substances or products causing allergies or 
intolerances, or the list of nutrients that may be declared 
on a voluntary basis. It is of particular importance that 
the Commission carry out appropriate consultations 
during its preparatory work, including at expert level. 
The Commission, when preparing and drawing up 
delegated acts, should ensure simultaneous, timely and 
appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the 
European Parliament and to the Council.EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/23  
( 1 ) OJ L 165, 30.4.2004, p. 1.  
( 2 ) OJ L 404, 30.12.2006, p. 26.(59) In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implemen ­
tation of this Regulation, implementing powers should be 
conferred on the Commission to adopt implementing 
acts in relation to, inter alia, the modalities of expression 
of one or more particulars by means of pictograms or 
symbols instead of words or numbers, the manner of 
indicating the date of minimum durability, the manner 
of indicating the country of origin or place of prov ­
enance for meat, the precision of the declared values 
for the nutrition declaration, or the expression per 
portion or per consumption unit of the nutrition 
declaration. Those powers should be exercised in 
accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 
2011 laying down the rules and general principles 
concerning mechanisms for control by Member States 
of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (  1 ), 
HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:  
CHAPTER I  
GENERAL PROVISIONS  
Article 1  
Subject matter and scope  
1. This Regulation provides the basis for the assurance of a 
high level of consumer protection in relation to food 
information, taking into account the differences in the 
perception of consumers and their information needs whilst 
ensuring the smooth functioning of the internal market.  
2. This Regulation establishes the general principles, 
requirements and responsibilities governing food information, 
and in particular food labelling. It lays down the means to 
guarantee the right of consumers to information and procedures 
for the provision of food information, taking into account the 
need to provide sufficient flexibility to respond to future devel ­
opments and new information requirements.  
3. This Regulation shall apply to food business operators at 
all stages of the food chain, where their activities concern the 
provision of food information to consumers. It shall apply to all 
foods intended for the final consumer, including foods delivered 
by mass caterers, and foods intended for supply to mass 
caterers.  
This Regulation shall apply to catering services provided by 
transport undertakings when the departure takes place on the 
territories of the Member States to which the Treaties apply.  
4. This Regulation shall apply without prejudice to labelling 
requirements provided for in specific Union provisions 
applicable to particular foods.  Article 2  
Definitions  
1. For the purposes of this Regulation, the following defi ­
nitions shall apply:  
(a) the definitions of ‘food’, ‘food law’, ‘food business’, ‘food 
business operator’, ‘retail’, ‘placing on the market’ and 
‘final consumer’ in Article 2 and in points (1), (2), (3), (7), 
(8) and (18) of Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002;  
(b) the definitions of ‘processing’, ‘unprocessed products’ and 
‘processed products’ in points (m), (n) and (o) of 
Article 2(1) of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 
on the hygiene of foodstuffs (  2 ); 
(c) the definition of ‘food enzyme’ in point (a) of Article 3(2) of 
Regulation (EC) No 1332/2008 of the European Parliament 
and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on food 
enzymes (  3 ); 
(d) the definitions of ‘food additive’, ‘processing aid’ and ‘carrier’ 
in points (a) and (b) of Article 3(2) of, and in point 5 of 
Annex I to, Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on 
food additives (  4 ); 
(e) the definition of ‘flavourings’ in point (a) of Article 3(2) of 
Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 of the European Parliament 
and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on flavourings 
and certain food ingredients with flavouring properties for 
use in and on foods (  5 ); 
(f) the definitions of ‘meat’, ‘mechanically separated meat’, 
‘meat preparations’, ‘fishery products’ and ‘meat products’ 
in points 1.1, 1.14, 1.15, 3.1 and 7.1 of Annex I to Regu ­
lation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific hygiene 
rules for food of animal origin (  6 ); 
(g) the definition of ‘advertising’ in point (a) of Article 2 of 
Directive 2006/114/EC of the European Parliament and of 
the Council of 12 December 2006 concerning misleading 
and comparative advertising (  7 ).EN L 304/24 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011  
( 1 ) OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13.  ( 2 ) OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 1.  
( 3 ) OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 7.  
( 4 ) OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 16.  
( 5 ) OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 34.  
( 6 ) OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 55.  
( 7 ) OJ L 376, 27.12.2006, p. 21.2. The following definitions shall also apply:  
(a) ‘food information’ means information concerning a food 
and made available to the final consumer by means of a 
label, other accompanying material, or any other means 
including modern technology tools or verbal communi ­
cation;  
(b) ‘food information law’ means the Union provisions 
governing the food information, and in particular labelling, 
including rules of a general nature applicable to all foods in 
particular circumstances or to certain categories of foods 
and rules which apply only to specific foods;  
(c) ‘mandatory food information’ means the particulars that are 
required to be provided to the final consumer by Union 
provisions;  
(d) ‘mass caterer’ means any establishment (including a vehicle 
or a fixed or mobile stall), such as restaurants, canteens, 
schools, hospitals and catering enterprises in which, in the 
course of a business, food is prepared to be ready for 
consumption by the final consumer;  
(e) ‘prepacked food’ means any single item for presentation as 
such to the final consumer and to mass caterers, consisting 
of a food and the packaging into which it was put before 
being offered for sale, whether such packaging encloses the 
food completely or only partially, but in any event in such 
a way that the contents cannot be altered without opening 
or changing the packaging; ‘prepacked food’ does not cover 
foods packed on the sales premises at the consumer’s 
request or prepacked for direct sale;  
(f) ‘ingredient’ means any substance or product, including 
flavourings, food additives and food enzymes, and any 
constituent of a compound ingredient, used in the manu ­
facture or preparation of a food and still present in the 
finished product, even if in an altered form; residues shall 
not be considered as ‘ingredients’;  
(g) ‘place of provenance’ means any place where a food is 
indicated to come from, and that is not the ‘country of 
origin’ as determined in accordance with Articles 23 to 26 
of Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92; the name, business name 
or address of the food business operator on the label shall 
not constitute an indication of the country of origin or 
place of provenance of food within the meaning of this 
Regulation;  
(h) ‘compound ingredient’ means an ingredient that is itself the 
product of more than one ingredient;  (i) ‘label’ means any tag, brand, mark, pictorial or other 
descriptive matter, written, printed, stencilled, marked, 
embossed or impressed on, or attached to the packaging 
or container of food;  
(j) ‘labelling’ means any words, particulars, trade marks, brand 
name, pictorial matter or symbol relating to a food and 
placed on any packaging, document, notice, label, ring or 
collar accompanying or referring to such food;  
(k) ‘field of vision’ means all the surfaces of a package that can 
be read from a single viewing point;  
(l) ‘principal field of vision’ means the field of vision of a 
package which is most likely to be seen at first glance by 
the consumer at the time of purchase and that enables the 
consumer to immediately identify a product in terms of its 
character or nature and, if applicable, its brand name. If a 
package has several identical principal fields of vision, the 
principal field of vision is the one chosen by the food 
business operator;  
(m) ‘legibility’ means the physical appearance of information, by 
means of which the information is visually accessible to the 
general population and which is determined by various 
elements, inter alia, font size, letter spacing, spacing 
between lines, stroke width, type colour, typeface, width- 
height ratio of the letters, the surface of the material and 
significant contrast between the print and the background;  
(n) ‘legal name’ means the name of a food prescribed in the 
Union provisions applicable to it or, in the absence of such 
Union provisions, the name provided for in the laws, regu ­
lations and administrative provisions applicable in the 
Member State in which the food is sold to the final 
consumer or to mass caterers;  
(o) ‘customary name’ means a name which is accepted as the 
name of the food by consumers in the Member State in 
which that food is sold, without that name needing further 
explanation;  
(p) ‘descriptive name’ means a name providing a description of 
the food, and if necessary of its use, which is sufficiently 
clear to enable consumers to know its true nature and 
distinguish it from other products with which it might be 
confused;  
(q) ‘primary ingredient’ means an ingredient or ingredients of a 
food that represent more than 50 % of that food or which 
are usually associated with the name of the food by the 
consumer and for which in most cases a quantitative indi ­
cation is required;EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/25(r) ‘date of minimum durability of a food’ means the date until 
which the food retains its specific properties when properly 
stored;  
(s) ‘nutrient’ means protein, carbohydrate, fat, fibre, sodium, 
vitamins and minerals listed in point 1 of Part A of 
Annex XIII to this Regulation, and substances which 
belong to or are components of one of those categories;  
(t) ‘engineered nanomaterial’ means any intentionally 
produced material that has one or more dimensions of 
the order of 100 nm or less or that is composed of 
discrete functional parts, either internally or at the 
surface, many of which have one or more dimensions of 
the order of 100 nm or less, including structures, agglom ­
erates or aggregates, which may have a size above the order 
of 100 nm but retain properties that are characteristic of 
the nanoscale.  
Properties that are characteristic of the nanoscale include:  
(i) those related to the large specific surface area of the 
materials considered; and/or  
(ii) specific physico-chemical properties that are different 
from those of the non-nanoform of the same material;  
(u) ‘means of distance communication’ means any means 
which, without the simultaneous physical presence of the 
supplier and the consumer, may be used for the conclusion 
of a contract between those parties.  
3. For the purposes of this Regulation the country of origin 
of a food shall refer to the origin of a food as determined in 
accordance with Articles 23 to 26 of Regulation (EEC) 
No 2913/92.  
4. The specific definitions set out in Annex I shall also apply.  
CHAPTER II  
GENERAL PRINCIPLES ON FOOD INFORMATION  
Article 3  
General objectives  
1. The provision of food information shall pursue a high 
level of protection of consumers’ health and interests by 
providing a basis for final consumers to make informed 
choices and to make safe use of food, with particular regard 
to health, economic, environmental, social and ethical 
considerations.  
2. Food information law shall aim to achieve in the Union 
the free movement of legally produced and marketed food, taking into account, where appropriate, the need to protect 
the legitimate interests of producers and to promote the 
production of quality products.  
3. When food information law establishes new requirements, 
a transitional period after the entry into force of the new 
requirements shall be granted, except in duly justified cases. 
During such transitional period, foods bearing labels not 
complying with the new requirements may be placed on the 
market, and stocks of such foods that have been placed on the 
market before the end of the transitional period may continue 
to be sold until exhausted.  
4. An open and transparent public consultation shall be 
conducted, including with stakeholders, directly or through 
representative bodies, during the preparation, evaluation and 
revision of food information law, except where the urgency 
of the matter does not allow it.  
Article 4  
Principles governing mandatory food information  
1. Where mandatory food information is required by food 
information law, it shall concern information that falls, in 
particular, into one of the following categories:  
(a) information on the identity and composition, properties or 
other characteristics of the food;  
(b) information on the protection of consumers’ health and the 
safe use of a food. In particular, it shall concern information 
on: 
(i) compositional attributes that may be harmful to the 
health of certain groups of consumers;  
(ii) durability, storage and safe use;  
(iii) the health impact, including the risks and consequences 
related to harmful and hazardous consumption of a 
food;  
(c) information on nutritional characteristics so as to enable 
consumers, including those with special dietary 
requirements, to make informed choices.  
2. When considering the need for mandatory food 
information and to enable consumers to make informed 
choices, account shall be taken of a widespread need on the 
part of the majority of consumers for certain information to 
which they attach significant value or of any generally accepted 
benefits to the consumer.EN L 304/26 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011Article 5  
Consultation of the European Food Safety Authority  
Any Union measure in the field of food information law which 
is likely to have an effect on public health shall be adopted after 
consultation of the European Food Safety Authority (‘the 
Authority’).  
CHAPTER III  
GENERAL FOOD INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS AND 
RESPONSIBILITIES OF FOOD BUSINESS OPERATORS  
Article 6  
Basic requirement  
Any food intended for supply to the final consumer or to mass 
caterers shall be accompanied by food information in 
accordance with this Regulation.  
Article 7  
Fair information practices  
1. Food information shall not be misleading, particularly:  
(a) as to the characteristics of the food and, in particular, as to 
its nature, identity, properties, composition, quantity, dura ­
bility, country of origin or place of provenance, method of 
manufacture or production;  
(b) by attributing to the food effects or properties which it does 
not possess;  
(c) by suggesting that the food possesses special characteristics 
when in fact all similar foods possess such characteristics, in 
particular by specifically emphasising the presence or 
absence of certain ingredients and/or nutrients;  
(d) by suggesting, by means of the appearance, the description 
or pictorial representations, the presence of a particular food 
or an ingredient, while in reality a component naturally 
present or an ingredient normally used in that food has 
been substituted with a different component or a different 
ingredient.  
2. Food information shall be accurate, clear and easy to 
understand for the consumer.  
3. Subject to derogations provided for by Union law 
applicable to natural mineral waters and foods for particular 
nutritional uses, food information shall not attribute to any 
food the property of preventing, treating or curing a human 
disease, nor refer to such properties.  4. Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall also apply to:  
(a) advertising;  
(b) the presentation of foods, in particular their shape, 
appearance or packaging, the packaging materials used, 
the way in which they are arranged and the setting in 
which they are displayed.  
Article 8  
Responsibilities  
1. The food business operator responsible for the food 
information shall be the operator under whose name or 
business name the food is marketed or, if that operator is not 
established in the Union, the importer into the Union market.  
2. The food business operator responsible for the food 
information shall ensure the presence and accuracy of the 
food information in accordance with the applicable food 
information law and requirements of relevant national 
provisions.  
3. Food business operators which do not affect food 
information shall not supply food which they know or 
presume, on the basis of the information in their possession 
as professionals, to be non-compliant with the applicable food 
information law and requirements of relevant national 
provisions.  
4. Food business operators, within the businesses under their 
control, shall not modify the information accompanying a food 
if such modification would mislead the final consumer or 
otherwise reduce the level of consumer protection and the 
possibilities for the final consumer to make informed choices. 
Food business operators are responsible for any changes they 
make to food information accompanying a food.  
5. Without prejudice to paragraphs 2 to 4, food business 
operators, within the businesses under their control, shall 
ensure compliance with the requirements of food information 
law and relevant national provisions which are relevant to their 
activities and shall verify that such requirements are met.  
6. Food business operators, within the businesses under their 
control, shall ensure that information relating to non-prepacked 
food intended for the final consumer or for supply to mass 
caterers shall be transmitted to the food business operator 
receiving the food in order to enable, when required, the 
provision of mandatory food information to the final consumer.EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/277. In the following cases, food business operators, within the 
businesses under their control, shall ensure that the mandatory 
particulars required under Articles 9 and 10 shall appear on the 
prepackaging or on a label attached thereto, or on the 
commercial documents referring to the foods where it can be 
guaranteed that such documents either accompany the food to 
which they refer or were sent before or at the same time as 
delivery:  
(a) where prepacked food is intended for the final consumer 
but marketed at a stage prior to sale to the final consumer 
and where sale to a mass caterer is not involved at that 
stage;  
(b) where prepacked food is intended for supply to mass 
caterers for preparation, processing, splitting or cutting up.  
Notwithstanding the first subparagraph, food business operators 
shall ensure that the particulars referred to in points (a), (f), (g) 
and (h) of Article 9(1) also appear on the external packaging in 
which the prepacked foods are presented for marketing.  
8. Food business operators that supply to other food 
business operators food not intended for the final consumer 
or to mass caterers shall ensure that those other food 
business operators are provided with sufficient information to 
enable them, where appropriate, to meet their obligations under 
paragraph 2.  
CHAPTER IV  
MANDATORY FOOD INFORMATION  
SECTION 1  
Content and presentation  
Article 9  
List of mandatory particulars  
1. In accordance with Articles 10 to 35 and subject to the 
exceptions contained in this Chapter, indication of the following 
particulars shall be mandatory:  
(a) the name of the food;  
(b) the list of ingredients;  
(c) any ingredient or processing aid listed in Annex II or 
derived from a substance or product listed in Annex II 
causing allergies or intolerances used in the manufacture 
or preparation of a food and still present in the finished 
product, even if in an altered form;  
(d) the quantity of certain ingredients or categories of 
ingredients;  
(e) the net quantity of the food;  (f) the date of minimum durability or the ‘use by’ date;  
(g) any special storage conditions and/or conditions of use;  
(h) the name or business name and address of the food 
business operator referred to in Article 8(1);  
(i) the country of origin or place of provenance where 
provided for in Article 26;  
(j) instructions for use where it would be difficult to make 
appropriate use of the food in the absence of such 
instructions;  
(k) with respect to beverages containing more than 1,2 % by 
volume of alcohol, the actual alcoholic strength by volume;  
(l) a nutrition declaration.  
2. The particulars referred to in paragraph 1 shall be 
indicated with words and numbers. Without prejudice to 
Article 35, they may additionally be expressed by means of 
pictograms or symbols.  
3. Where the Commission adopts delegated and imple ­
menting acts referred to in this Article, the particulars referred 
to in paragraph 1 may alternatively be expressed by means of 
pictograms or symbols instead of words or numbers.  
In order to ensure that consumers benefit from other means of 
expression of mandatory food information than words and 
numbers, and provided that the same level of information as 
with words and numbers is ensured, the Commission, taking 
into account evidence of uniform consumer understanding, may 
establish, by means of delegated acts in accordance with 
Article 51, the criteria subject to which one or more particulars 
referred to in paragraph 1 may be expressed by pictograms or 
symbols instead of words or numbers.  
4. For the purpose of ensuring the uniform implementation 
of paragraph 3 of this Article, the Commission may adopt 
implementing acts on the modalities of application of the 
criteria defined in accordance with paragraph 3 to express 
one or more particulars by means of pictograms or symbols 
instead of words or numbers. Those implementing acts shall be 
adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred 
to in Article 48(2).  
Article 10  
Additional mandatory particulars for specific types or 
categories of foods  
1. In addition to the particulars listed in Article 9(1), addi ­
tional mandatory particulars for specific types or categories of 
foods are laid down in Annex III.EN L 304/28 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.20112. In order to ensure consumer information with respect to 
specific types or categories of foods and to take account of 
technical progress, scientific developments, the protection of 
consumers’ health or the safe use of a food, the Commission 
may amend Annex III by means of delegated acts, in accordance 
with Article 51.  
Where, in the case of the emergence of a risk to consumers’ 
health, imperative grounds of urgency so require, the procedure 
provided for in Article 52 shall apply to delegated acts adopted 
pursuant to this Article.  
Article 11  
Weights and measures  
Article 9 shall be without prejudice to more specific Union 
provisions regarding weights and measures.  
Article 12  
Availability and placement of mandatory food information  
1. Mandatory food information shall be available and shall 
be easily accessible, in accordance with this Regulation, for all 
foods.  
2. In the case of prepacked food, mandatory food 
information shall appear directly on the package or on a label 
attached thereto.  
3. In order to ensure that consumers benefit from other 
means of provision of mandatory food information better 
adapted for certain mandatory particulars, and provided that 
the same level of information as by means of the package or 
the label is ensured, the Commission, taking into account 
evidence of uniform consumer understanding and of the wide 
use of these means by consumers, may establish, by means of 
delegated acts in accordance with Article 51, criteria subject to 
which certain mandatory particulars may be expressed by 
means other than on the package or on the label.  
4. For the purposes of ensuring the uniform implementation 
of paragraph 3 of this Article, the Commission may adopt 
implementing acts on the modalities of application of the 
criteria referred to in paragraph 3 in order to express certain 
mandatory particulars by means other than on the package or 
on the label. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in 
accordance with the examination procedure referred to in 
Article 48(2).  
5. In the case of non-prepacked food, the provisions of 
Article 44 shall apply.  
Article 13  
Presentation of mandatory particulars  
1. Without prejudice to the national measures adopted under 
Article 44(2), mandatory food information shall be marked in a conspicuous place in such a way as to be easily visible, clearly 
legible and, where appropriate, indelible. It shall not in any way 
be hidden, obscured, detracted from or interrupted by any other 
written or pictorial matter or any other intervening material.  
2. Without prejudice to specific Union provisions applicable 
to particular foods, when appearing on the package or on the 
label attached thereto, the mandatory particulars listed in 
Article 9(1) shall be printed on the package or on the label 
in such a way as to ensure clear legibility, in characters using a 
font size where the x-height, as defined in Annex IV, is equal to 
or greater than 1,2 mm.  
3. In case of packaging or containers the largest surface of 
which has an area of less than 80 cm  2 , the x-height of the font 
size referred to in paragraph 2 shall be equal to or greater than 
0,9 mm.  
4. For the purpose of achieving the objectives of this Regu ­
lation, the Commission shall, by means of delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 51, establish rules for legibility.  
For the same purpose as referred to in the first subparagraph, 
the Commission may, by means of delegated acts in accordance 
with Article 51, extend the requirements under paragraph 5 of 
this Article to additional mandatory particulars for specific types 
or categories of foods.  
5. The particulars listed in points (a), (e) and (k) of 
Article 9(1) shall appear in the same field of vision.  
6. Paragraph 5 of this Article shall not apply in the cases 
specified in Article 16(1) and (2).  
Article 14  
Distance selling  
1. Without prejudice to the information requirements laid 
down in Article 9, in the case of prepacked foods offered for 
sale by means of distance communication:  
(a) mandatory food information, except the particulars 
provided in point (f) of Article 9(1), shall be available 
before the purchase is concluded and shall appear on the 
material supporting the distance selling or be provided 
through other appropriate means clearly identified by the 
food business operator. When other appropriate means are 
used, the mandatory food information shall be provided 
without the food business operator charging consumers 
supplementary costs;  
(b) all mandatory particulars shall be available at the moment 
of delivery.EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/292. In the case of non-prepacked foods offered for sale by 
means of distance communication, the particulars required 
under Article 44 shall be made available in accordance with 
paragraph 1 of this Article.  
3. Point (a) of paragraph 1 shall not apply to foods offered 
for sale by means of automatic vending machines or automated 
commercial premises.  
Article 15  
Language requirements  
1. Without prejudice to Article 9(3), mandatory food 
information shall appear in a language easily understood by 
the consumers of the Member States where a food is marketed.  
2. Within their own territory, the Member States in which a 
food is marketed may stipulate that the particulars shall be 
given in one or more languages from among the official 
languages of the Union.  
3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not preclude the particulars from 
being indicated in several languages.  
Article 16  
Omission of certain mandatory particulars  
1. In the case of glass bottles intended for reuse which are 
indelibly marked and which therefore bear no label, ring or 
collar only the particulars listed in points (a), (c), (e), (f) and 
(l) of Article 9(1) shall be mandatory.  
2. In the case of packaging or containers the largest surface 
of which has an area of less than 10 cm  2 only the particulars 
listed in points (a), (c), (e) and (f) of Article 9(1) shall be 
mandatory on the package or on the label. The particulars 
referred to in point (b) of Article 9(1) shall be provided 
through other means or shall be made available at the request 
of the consumer.  
3. Without prejudice to other Union provisions requiring a 
mandatory nutrition declaration, the declaration referred to in 
point (l) of Article 9(1) shall not be mandatory for the foods 
listed in Annex V.  
4. Without prejudice to other Union provisions requiring a 
list of ingredients or a mandatory nutrition declaration, the 
particulars referred to in points (b) and (l) of Article 9(1) 
shall not be mandatory for beverages containing more than 
1,2 % by volume of alcohol.  
By 13 December 2014, the Commission shall produce a report 
concerning the application of Article 18 and Article 30(1) to 
the products referred to in this paragraph, and addressing 
whether alcoholic beverages should in future be covered, in 
particular, by the requirement to provide the information on 
the energy value, and the reasons justifying possible exemptions, taking into account the need to ensure coherence with other 
relevant Union policies. In this context, the Commission shall 
consider the need to propose a definition of ‘alcopops’.  
The Commission shall accompany that report by a legislative 
proposal, if appropriate, determining the rules for a list of 
ingredients or a mandatory nutrition declaration for those 
products.  
SECTION 2  
Detailed provisions on mandatory particulars  
Article 17  
Name of the food  
1. The name of the food shall be its legal name. In the 
absence of such a name, the name of the food shall be its 
customary name, or, if there is no customary name or the 
customary name is not used, a descriptive name of the food 
shall be provided.  
2. The use in the Member State of marketing of the name of 
the food under which the product is legally manufactured and 
marketed in the Member State of production shall be allowed. 
However, where the application of the other provisions of this 
Regulation, in particular those set out in Article 9, would not 
enable consumers in the Member State of marketing to know 
the true nature of the food and to distinguish it from foods 
with which they could confuse it, the name of the food shall be 
accompanied by other descriptive information which shall 
appear in proximity to the name of the food.  
3. In exceptional cases, the name of the food in the Member 
State of production shall not be used in the Member State of 
marketing when the food which it designates in the Member 
State of production is so different, as regards its composition or 
manufacture, from the food known under that name in the 
Member State of marketing that paragraph 2 is not sufficient 
to ensure, in the Member State of marketing, correct 
information for consumers.  
4. The name of the food shall not be replaced with a name 
protected as intellectual property, brand name or fancy name.  
5. Specific provisions on the name of the food and 
particulars that shall accompany it are laid down in Annex VI.  
Article 18  
List of ingredients  
1. The list of ingredients shall be headed or preceded by a 
suitable heading which consists of or includes the word 
‘ingredients’. It shall include all the ingredients of the food, in 
descending order of weight, as recorded at the time of their use 
in the manufacture of the food.EN L 304/30 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.20112. Ingredients shall be designated by their specific name, 
where applicable, in accordance with the rules laid down in 
Article 17 and in Annex VI.  
3. All ingredients present in the form of engineered nano ­
materials shall be clearly indicated in the list of ingredients. The 
names of such ingredients shall be followed by the word ‘nano’ 
in brackets.  
4. Technical rules for applying paragraphs 1 and 2 of this 
Article are laid down in Annex VII.  
5. For the purposes of achieving the objectives of this Regu ­
lation, the Commission shall, by means of delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 51, adjust and adapt the definition of 
engineered nanomaterials referred to in point (t) of Article 2(2) 
to technical and scientific progress or to definitions agreed at 
international level.  
Article 19  
Omission of the list of ingredients  
1. The following foods shall not be required to bear a list of 
ingredients:  
(a) fresh fruit and vegetables, including potatoes, which have 
not been peeled, cut or similarly treated;  
(b) carbonated water, the description of which indicates that it 
has been carbonated;  
(c) fermentation vinegars derived exclusively from a single basic 
product, provided that no other ingredient has been added;  
(d) cheese, butter, fermented milk and cream, to which no 
ingredient has been added other than lactic products, food 
enzymes and micro-organism cultures essential to manu ­
facture, or in the case of cheese other than fresh cheese 
and processed cheese the salt needed for its manufacture;  
(e) foods consisting of a single ingredient, where:  
(i) the name of the food is identical to the ingredient name; 
or 
(ii) the name of the food enables the nature of the 
ingredient to be clearly identified.  
2. In order to take into account the relevance for the 
consumer of a list of ingredients for specific types or categories 
of foods, the Commission may, in exceptional cases, by means 
of delegated acts, in accordance with Article 51, supplement 
paragraph 1 of this Article, provided that omissions do not 
result in the final consumer or mass caterers being inadequately 
informed.  Article 20  
Omission of constituents of food from the list of 
ingredients  
Without prejudice to Article 21, the following constituents of a 
food shall not be required to be included in the list of 
ingredients:  
(a) the constituents of an ingredient which have been 
temporarily separated during the manufacturing process 
and later reintroduced but not in excess of their original 
proportions;  
(b) food additives and food enzymes:  
(i) whose presence in a given food is solely due to the fact 
that they were contained in one or more ingredients of 
that food, in accordance with the carry-over principle 
referred to in points (a) and (b) of Article 18(1) of 
Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, provided that they 
serve no technological function in the finished 
product; or  
(ii) which are used as processing aids;  
(c) carriers and substances which are not food additives but are 
used in the same way and with the same purpose as carriers, 
and which are used in the quantities strictly necessary;  
(d) substances which are not food additives but are used in the 
same way and with the same purpose as processing aids and 
are still present in the finished product, even if in an altered 
form;  
(e) water:  
(i) where the water is used during the manufacturing 
process solely for the reconstitution of an ingredient 
used in concentrated or dehydrated form; or  
(ii) in the case of a liquid medium which is not normally 
consumed.  
Article 21  
Labelling of certain substances or products causing allergies 
or intolerances  
1. Without prejudice to the rules adopted under 
Article 44(2), the particulars referred to in point (c) of 
Article 9(1) shall meet the following requirements:  
(a) they shall be indicated in the list of ingredients in 
accordance with the rules laid down in Article 18(1), with 
a clear reference to the name of the substance or product as 
listed in Annex II; andEN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/31(b) the name of the substance or product as listed in Annex II 
shall be emphasised through a typeset that clearly distin ­
guishes it from the rest of the list of ingredients, for 
example by means of the font, style or background colour.  
In the absence of a list of ingredients, the indication of the 
particulars referred to in point (c) of Article 9(1) shall 
comprise the word ‘contains’ followed by the name of the 
substance or product as listed in Annex II.  
Where several ingredients or processing aids of a food originate 
from a single substance or product listed in Annex II, the 
labelling shall make it clear for each ingredient or processing 
aid concerned.  
The indication of the particulars referred to in point (c) of 
Article 9(1) shall not be required in cases where the name of 
the food clearly refers to the substance or product concerned.  
2. In order to ensure better information for consumers and 
to take account of the most recent scientific progress and 
technical knowledge, the Commission shall systematically re- 
examine and, where necessary, update the list in Annex II by 
means of delegated acts, in accordance with Article 51.  
Where, in the case of the emergence of a risk to consumers’ 
health, imperative grounds of urgency so require, the procedure 
provided for in Article 52 shall apply to delegated acts adopted 
pursuant to this Article.  
Article 22  
Quantitative indication of ingredients  
1. The indication of the quantity of an ingredient or category 
of ingredients used in the manufacture or preparation of a food 
shall be required where the ingredient or category of ingredients 
concerned:  
(a) appears in the name of the food or is usually associated 
with that name by the consumer;  
(b) is emphasised on the labelling in words, pictures or 
graphics; or  
(c) is essential to characterise a food and to distinguish it from 
products with which it might be confused because of its 
name or appearance.  
2. Technical rules for applying paragraph 1, including 
specific cases where the quantitative indication shall not be 
required in respect of certain ingredients, are laid down in 
Annex VIII.  Article 23  
Net quantity  
1. The net quantity of a food shall be expressed using litres, 
centilitres, millilitres, kilograms or grams, as appropriate:  
(a) in units of volume in the case of liquid products;  
(b) in units of mass in the case of other products.  
2. In order to ensure a better understanding by the consumer 
of the food information on the labelling, the Commission may 
establish for certain specified foods, by means of delegated acts, 
in accordance with Article 51, a manner for the expression of 
the net quantity other than the one laid down in paragraph 1 of 
this Article.  
3. Technical rules for applying paragraph 1, including 
specific cases where the indication of the net quantity shall 
not be required, are laid down in Annex IX.  
Article 24  
Minimum durability date, ‘use by’ date and date of freezing  
1. In the case of foods which, from a microbiological point 
of view, are highly perishable and are therefore likely after a 
short period to constitute an immediate danger to human 
health, the date of minimum durability shall be replaced by 
the ‘use by’ date. After the ‘use by’ date a food shall be 
deemed to be unsafe in accordance with Article 14(2) to (5) 
of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002.  
2. The appropriate date shall be expressed in accordance 
with Annex X.  
3. In order to ensure a uniform application of the manner of 
indicating the date of minimum durability referred to in point 
1(c) of Annex X, the Commission may adopt implementing acts 
setting out rules in this regard. Those implementing acts shall 
be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure 
referred to in Article 48(2).  
Article 25  
Storage conditions or conditions of use  
1. In cases where foods require special storage conditions 
and/or conditions of use, those conditions shall be indicated.  
2. To enable appropriate storage or use of the food after 
opening the package, the storage conditions and/or time limit 
for consumption shall be indicated, where appropriate.EN L 304/32 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011Article 26  
Country of origin or place of provenance  
1. This Article shall apply without prejudice to labelling 
requirements provided for in specific Union provisions, in 
particular Council Regulation (EC) No 509/2006 of 20 March 
2006 on agricultural products and foodstuffs as traditional 
specialties guaranteed (  1 ) and Council Regulation (EC) 
No 510/2006 of 20 March 2006 on the protection of 
geographical indications and designations of origin for agri ­
cultural products and foodstuffs (  2 ). 
2. Indication of the country of origin or place of provenance 
shall be mandatory:  
(a) where failure to indicate this might mislead the consumer as 
to the true country of origin or place of provenance of the 
food, in particular if the information accompanying the 
food or the label as a whole would otherwise imply that 
the food has a different country of origin or place of prov ­
enance;  
(b) for meat falling within the Combined Nomenclature (‘CN’) 
codes listed in Annex XI. The application of this point shall 
be subject to the adoption of implementing acts referred to 
in paragraph 8.  
3. Where the country of origin or the place of provenance of 
a food is given and where it is not the same as that of its 
primary ingredient:  
(a) the country of origin or place of provenance of the primary 
ingredient in question shall also be given; or  
(b) the country of origin or place of provenance of the primary 
ingredient shall be indicated as being different to that of the 
food.  
The application of this paragraph shall be subject to the 
adoption of the implementing acts referred to in paragraph 8.  
4. Within 5 years from the date of application of point (b) of 
paragraph 2, the Commission shall submit a report to the 
European Parliament and the Council to evaluate the 
mandatory indication of the country of origin or place of prov ­
enance for products referred to in that point.  
5. By 13 December 2014, the Commission shall submit 
reports to the European Parliament and the Council regarding 
the mandatory indication of the country of origin or place of 
provenance for the following foods:  
(a) types of meat other than beef and those referred to in point 
(b) of paragraph 2;  (b) milk;  
(c) milk used as an ingredient in dairy products;  
(d) unprocessed foods;  
(e) single ingredient products;  
(f) ingredients that represent more than 50 % of a food.  
6. By 13 December 2013, the Commission shall submit a 
report to the European Parliament and the Council regarding 
the mandatory indication of the country of origin or place of 
provenance for meat used as an ingredient.  
7. The reports referred to in paragraphs 5 and 6 shall take 
into account the need for the consumer to be informed, the 
feasibility of providing the mandatory indication of the country 
of origin or place of provenance and an analysis of the costs 
and benefits of the introduction of such measures, including the 
legal impact on the internal market and the impact on inter ­
national trade.  
The Commission may accompany those reports with proposals 
to modify the relevant Union provisions.  
8. By 13 December 2013, following impact assessments, the 
Commission shall adopt implementing acts concerning the 
application of point (b) of paragraph 2 of this Article and the 
application of paragraph 3 of this Article. Those implementing 
acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination 
procedure referred to in Article 48(2).  
9. In the case of foods referred to in point (b) of paragraph 
2, in point (a) of paragraph 5 and in paragraph 6, the reports 
and the impact assessments under this Article shall consider, 
inter alia, the options for the modalities of expressing the 
country of origin or place of provenance of those foods, in 
particular with respect to each of the following determining 
points in the life of the animal:  
(a) place of birth;  
(b) place of rearing;  
(c) place of slaughter.  
Article 27  
Instructions for use  
1. The instructions for use of a food shall be indicated in 
such a way as to enable appropriate use to be made of the food.EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/33  
( 1 ) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 1.  
( 2 ) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.2. The Commission may adopt implementing acts setting out 
detailed rules concerning the implementation of paragraph 1 for 
certain foods. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in 
accordance with the examination procedure referred to in 
Article 48(2).  
Article 28  
Alcoholic strength  
1. The rules concerning indication of the alcoholic strength 
by volume shall, in the case of products classified in CN code 
2204, be those laid down in the specific Union provisions 
applicable to such products.  
2. The actual alcoholic strength by volume of beverages 
containing more than 1,2 % by volume of alcohol other than 
those referred to in paragraph 1 shall be indicated in accordance 
with Annex XII.  
SECTION 3  
Nutrition declaration  
Article 29  
Relationship with other legislation  
1. This Section shall not apply to foods falling within the 
scope of the following legislation:  
(a) Directive 2002/46/EC of the European Parliament and of 
the Council of 10 June 2002 on the approximation of 
the laws of the Member States relating to food 
supplements (  1 ); 
(b) Directive 2009/54/EC of the European Parliament and of 
the Council of 18 June 2009 on the exploitation and 
marketing of natural mineral waters (  2 ). 
2. This Section shall apply without prejudice to Directive 
2009/39/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council 
of 6 May 2009 on foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional 
uses (  3 ) and specific Directives as referred to in Article 4(1) of 
that Directive.  
Article 30  
Content  
1. The mandatory nutrition declaration shall include the 
following:  
(a) energy value; and  
(b) the amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein 
and salt.  Where appropriate, a statement indicating that the salt content 
is exclusively due to the presence of naturally occurring sodium 
may appear in close proximity to the nutrition declaration.  
2. The content of the mandatory nutrition declaration 
referred to in paragraph 1 may be supplemented with an indi ­
cation of the amounts of one or more of the following:  
(a) mono-unsaturates;  
(b) polyunsaturates;  
(c) polyols;  
(d) starch;  
(e) fibre;  
(f) any of the vitamins or minerals listed in point 1 of Part A 
of Annex XIII, and present in significant amounts as defined 
in point 2 of Part A of Annex XIII.  
3. Where the labelling of a prepacked food provides the 
mandatory nutrition declaration referred to in paragraph 1, 
the following information may be repeated thereon:  
(a) the energy value; or  
(b) the energy value together with the amounts of fat, saturates, 
sugars, and salt.  
4. By way of derogation from Article 36(1), where the 
labelling of the products referred to in Article 16(4) provides 
a nutrition declaration, the content of the declaration may be 
limited to the energy value only.  
5. Without prejudice to Article 44 and by way of derogation 
from Article 36(1), where the labelling of the products referred 
to in Article 44(1) provides a nutrition declaration, the content 
of that declaration may be limited only to:  
(a) the energy value; or  
(b) the energy value together with the amounts of fat, saturates, 
sugars, and salt.  
6. In order to take account of the relevance of particulars 
referred to in paragraphs 2 to 5 of this Article for the 
information of consumers, the Commission may, by means of 
delegated acts, in accordance with Article 51, amend the lists in 
paragraphs 2 to 5 of this Article, by adding or removing 
particulars.EN L 304/34 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011  
( 1 ) OJ L 183, 12.7.2002, p. 51.  
( 2 ) OJ L 164, 26.6.2009, p. 45.  
( 3 ) OJ L 124, 20.5.2009, p. 21.7. By 13 December 2014, the Commission, taking into 
account scientific evidence and experience acquired in Member 
States, shall submit a report on the presence of trans fats in 
foods and in the overall diet of the Union population. The aim 
of the report shall be to assess the impact of appropriate means 
that could enable consumers to make healthier food and overall 
dietary choices or that could promote the provision of healthier 
food options to consumers, including, among others, the 
provision of information on trans fats to consumers or 
restrictions on their use. The Commission shall accompany 
this report with a legislative proposal, if appropriate.  
Article 31  
Calculation  
1. The energy value shall be calculated using the conversion 
factors listed in Annex XIV.  
2. The Commission may adopt, by means of delegated acts, 
in accordance with Article 51, conversion factors for the 
vitamins and minerals referred to in point 1 of Part A of 
Annex XIII, in order to calculate more precisely the content 
of such vitamins and minerals in foods. Those conversion 
factors shall be added to Annex XIV.  
3. The energy value and the amounts of nutrients referred to 
in Article 30(1) to (5) shall be those of the food as sold.  
Where appropriate, the information may relate to the food after 
preparation, provided that sufficiently detailed preparation 
instructions are given and the information relates to the food 
as prepared for consumption.  
4. The declared values shall, according to the individual case, 
be average values based on:  
(a) the manufacturer’s analysis of the food;  
(b) a calculation from the known or actual average values of 
the ingredients used; or  
(c) a calculation from generally established and accepted data.  
The Commission may adopt implementing acts setting out 
detailed rules for the uniform implementation of this 
paragraph with regard to the precision of the declared values 
such as the differences between the declared values and those 
established in the course of official checks. Those implementing 
acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination 
procedure referred to in Article 48(2).  
Article 32  
Expression per 100 g or per 100 ml  
1. The energy value and the amount of nutrients referred to 
in Article 30(1) to (5) shall be expressed using the measurement 
units listed in Annex XV.  2. The energy value and the amount of nutrients referred to 
in Article 30(1) to (5) shall be expressed per 100 g or per 
100 ml.  
3. When provided, the declaration on vitamins and minerals 
shall, in addition to the form of expression referred to in 
paragraph 2, be expressed as a percentage of the reference 
intakes set out in point 1 of Part A of Annex XIII in relation 
to per 100 g or per 100 ml.  
4. In addition to the form of expression referred to in 
paragraph 2 of this Article, the energy value and the amounts 
of nutrients referred to in Article 30(1), (3), (4) and (5) may be 
expressed, as appropriate, as a percentage of the reference 
intakes set out in Part B of Annex XIII in relation to per 
100 g or per 100 ml.  
5. Where information is provided pursuant to paragraph 4, 
the following additional statement shall be indicated in close 
proximity to it: ‘Reference intake of an average adult (8 400 kJ/ 
2 000 kcal)’.  
Article 33  
Expression on a per portion basis or per consumption unit  
1. In the following cases, the energy value and the amounts 
of nutrients referred to in Article 30(1) to (5) may be expressed 
per portion and/or per consumption unit, easily recognisable by 
the consumer, provided that the portion or the unit used is 
quantified on the label and that the number of portions or 
units contained in the package is stated:  
(a) in addition to the form of expression per 100 g or per 
100 ml referred to in Article 32(2);  
(b) in addition to the form of expression per 100 g or per 
100 ml referred to in Article 32(3) regarding the amounts 
of vitamins and minerals;  
(c) in addition to or instead of the form of expression per 
100 g or per 100 ml referred to in Article 32(4).  
2. By way of derogation from Article 32(2), in the cases 
referred to in point (b) of Article 30(3) the amount of 
nutrients and/or the percentage of the reference intakes set 
out in Part B of Annex XIII may be expressed on the basis of 
per portion or per consumption unit alone.  
When the amounts of nutrients are expressed on the basis of 
per portion or per consumption unit alone in accordance with 
the first subparagraph, the energy value shall be expressed per 
100 g or per 100 ml and on the basis of per portion or per 
consumption unit.EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/353. By way of derogation from Article 32(2), in the cases 
referred to in Article 30(5) the energy value and the amount 
of nutrients and/or the percentage of the reference intakes set 
out in Part B of Annex XIII may be expressed on the basis of 
per portion or per consumption unit alone.  
4. The portion or unit used shall be indicated in close 
proximity to the nutrition declaration.  
5. In order to ensure the uniform implementation of the 
expression of the nutrition declaration per portion or per unit 
of consumption and to provide for a uniform basis of 
comparison for the consumer, the Commission shall, taking 
into account actual consumption behaviour of consumers as 
well as dietary recommendations, adopt, by means of imple ­
menting acts, rules on the expression per portion or per 
consumption unit for specific categories of foods. Those imple ­
menting acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exam ­
ination procedure referred to in Article 48(2).  
Article 34  
Presentation  
1. The particulars referred to in Article 30(1) and (2) shall be 
included in the same field of vision. They shall be presented 
together in a clear format and, where appropriate, in the order 
of presentation provided for in Annex XV.  
2. The particulars referred to in Article 30(1) and (2) shall be 
presented, if space permits, in tabular format with the numbers 
aligned. Where space does not permit, the declaration shall 
appear in linear format.  
3. The particulars referred to in Article 30(3) shall be 
presented:  
(a) in the principal field of vision; and  
(b) using a font size in accordance with Article 13(2).  
The particulars referred to in Article 30(3) may be presented in 
a format different from that specified in paragraph 2 of this 
Article.  
4. The particulars referred to in Article 30(4) and (5) may be 
presented in a format different from that specified in paragraph 
2 of this Article.  
5. In cases where the energy value or the amount of 
nutrient(s) in a product is negligible, the information on those 
elements may be replaced by a statement such as ‘Contains 
negligible amounts of …’ and shall be indicated in close 
proximity to the nutrition declaration when present.  
In order to ensure the uniform implementation of this 
paragraph, the Commission may adopt implementing acts regarding the energy value and amounts of nutrients referred 
to in Article 30(1) to (5) which can be regarded as negligible. 
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with 
the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(2).  
6. In order to ensure a uniform application of the manner of 
presenting the nutrition declaration under the formats referred 
to in paragraphs 1 to 4 of this Article, the Commission may 
adopt implementing acts in this regard. Those implementing 
acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination 
procedure referred to in Article 48(2).  
Article 35  
Additional forms of expression and presentation  
1. In addition to the forms of expression referred to in 
Article 32(2) and (4) and Article 33 and to the presentation 
referred to in Article 34(2), the energy value and the amount of 
nutrients referred to in Article 30(1) to (5) may be given by 
other forms of expression and/or presented using graphical 
forms or symbols in addition to words or numbers provided 
that the following requirements are met:  
(a) they are based on sound and scientifically valid consumer 
research and do not mislead the consumer as referred to in 
Article 7;  
(b) their development is the result of consultation with a wide 
range of stakeholder groups;  
(c) they aim to facilitate consumer understanding of the 
contribution or importance of the food to the energy and 
nutrient content of a diet;  
(d) they are supported by scientifically valid evidence of under ­
standing of such forms of expression or presentation by the 
average consumer;  
(e) in the case of other forms of expression, they are based 
either on the harmonised reference intakes set out in 
Annex XIII, or in their absence, on generally accepted 
scientific advice on intakes for energy or nutrients;  
(f) they are objective and non-discriminatory; and  
(g) their application does not create obstacles to the free 
movement of goods.  
2. Member States may recommend to food business 
operators the use of one or more additional forms of expression 
or presentation of the nutrition declaration that they consider as 
best fulfilling the requirements laid down in points (a) to (g) of 
paragraph 1. Member States shall provide the Commission with 
the details of such additional forms of expression and presen ­
tation.EN L 304/36 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.20113. Member States shall ensure an appropriate monitoring of 
additional forms of expression or presentation of the nutrition 
declaration that are present on the market in their territory.  
To facilitate the monitoring of the use of such additional forms 
of expression or presentation, Member States may require food 
business operators placing on the market in their territory foods 
bearing such information to notify the competent authority of 
the use of an additional form of expression or presentation and 
to provide them with the relevant justifications regarding the 
fulfilment of the requirements laid down in points (a) to (g) of 
paragraph 1. In such cases, information on the discontinuation 
of the use of such additional forms of expression or presen ­
tation may also be required.  
4. The Commission shall facilitate and organise the exchange 
of information between Member States, itself and stakeholders 
on matters relating to the use of any additional forms of 
expression or presentation of the nutrition declaration.  
5. By 13 December 2017, in the light of the experience 
gained, the Commission shall submit a report to the 
European Parliament and the Council on the use of additional 
forms of expression and presentation, on their effect on the 
internal market and on the advisability of further harmonisation 
of those forms of expression and presentation. For this purpose, 
Member States shall provide the Commission with relevant 
information concerning the use of such additional forms of 
expression or presentation on the market in their territory. 
The Commission may accompany this report with proposals 
to modify the relevant Union provisions.  
6. In order to ensure the uniform application of this Article, 
the Commission shall adopt implementing acts setting out 
detailed rules concerning the implementation of paragraphs 1, 
3 and 4 of this Article. Those implementing acts shall be 
adopted in accordance with the examination procedure 
referred to in Article 48(2).  
CHAPTER V  
VOLUNTARY FOOD INFORMATION  
Article 36  
Applicable requirements  
1. Where food information referred to in Articles 9 and 10 
is provided on a voluntary basis, such information shall comply 
with the requirements laid down in Sections 2 and 3 of 
Chapter IV.  
2. Food information provided on a voluntary basis shall 
meet the following requirements:  
(a) it shall not mislead the consumer, as referred to in Article 7;  
(b) it shall not be ambiguous or confusing for the consumer; 
and (c) it shall, where appropriate, be based on the relevant 
scientific data.  
3. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts on the 
application of the requirements referred to in paragraph 2 of 
this Article to the following voluntary food information:  
(a) information on the possible and unintentional presence in 
food of substances or products causing allergies or intol ­
erances;  
(b) information related to suitability of a food for vegetarians or 
vegans; and  
(c) the indication of reference intakes for specific population 
groups in addition to the reference intakes set out in 
Annex XIII.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with 
the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(2).  
4. In order to ensure that consumers are appropriately 
informed, where voluntary food information is provided by 
food business operators on a divergent basis which might 
mislead or confuse the consumer, the Commission may, by 
means of delegated acts, in accordance with Article 51, 
provide for additional cases of provision of voluntary food 
information to the ones referred to in paragraph 3 of this 
Article.  
Article 37  
Presentation  
Voluntary food information shall not be displayed to the 
detriment of the space available for mandatory food 
information.  
CHAPTER VI  
NATIONAL MEASURES  
Article 38  
National measures  
1. As regards the matters specifically harmonised by this 
Regulation, Member States may not adopt nor maintain 
national measures unless authorised by Union law. Those 
national measures shall not give rise to obstacles to free 
movement of goods, including discrimination as regards foods 
from other Member States.  
2. Without prejudice to Article 39, Member States may 
adopt national measures concerning matters not specifically 
harmonised by this Regulation provided that they do not 
prohibit, impede or restrict the free movement of goods that 
are in conformity with this Regulation.EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/37Article 39  
National measures on additional mandatory particulars  
1. In addition to the mandatory particulars referred to in 
Article 9(1) and in Article 10, Member States may, in 
accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 45, adopt 
measures requiring additional mandatory particulars for specific 
types or categories of foods, justified on grounds of at least one 
of the following:  
(a) the protection of public health;  
(b) the protection of consumers;  
(c) the prevention of fraud;  
(d) the protection of industrial and commercial property rights, 
indications of provenance, registered designations of origin 
and the prevention of unfair competition.  
2. By means of paragraph 1, Member States may introduce 
measures concerning the mandatory indication of the country 
of origin or place of provenance of foods only where there is a 
proven link between certain qualities of the food and its origin 
or provenance. When notifying such measures to the 
Commission, Member States shall provide evidence that the 
majority of consumers attach significant value to the 
provision of that information.  
Article 40  
Milk and milk products  
Member States may adopt measures derogating from 
Article 9(1) and Article 10(1) in the case of milk and milk 
products presented in glass bottles intended for reuse.  
They shall communicate to the Commission the text of those 
measures without delay.  
Article 41  
Alcoholic beverages  
Member States may, pending the adoption of the Union 
provisions referred to in Article 16(4), maintain national 
measures as regards the listing of ingredients in the case of 
beverages containing more than 1,2 % by volume of alcohol.  
Article 42  
Expression of the net quantity  
In the absence of Union provisions referred to in Article 23(2) 
concerning the expression of net quantity for specified foods in 
a different manner to that provided for in Article 23(1), 
Member States may maintain national measures adopted 
before 12 December 2011.  By 13 December 2014, Member States shall inform the 
Commission about such measures. The Commission shall 
bring them to the attention of the other Member States.  
Article 43  
Voluntary indication of reference intakes for specific 
population groups  
Pending the adoption of the Union provisions referred to in 
point (c) of Article 36(3), Member States may adopt national 
measures on the voluntary indication of reference intakes for 
specific population groups.  
Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text 
of those measures without delay.  
Article 44  
National measures for non-prepacked food  
1. Where foods are offered for sale to the final consumer or 
to mass caterers without prepackaging, or where foods are 
packed on the sales premises at the consumer’s request or 
prepacked for direct sale:  
(a) the provision of the particulars specified in point (c) of 
Article 9(1) is mandatory;  
(b) the provision of other particulars referred to in Articles 9 
and 10 is not mandatory unless Member States adopt 
national measures requiring the provision of some or all 
of those particulars or elements of those particulars.  
2. Member States may adopt national measures concerning 
the means through which the particulars or elements of those 
particulars specified in paragraph 1 are to be made available 
and, where appropriate, their form of expression and presen ­
tation.  
3. Member States shall communicate to the Commission the 
text of the measures referred to in point (b) of paragraph 1 and 
in paragraph 2 without delay.  
Article 45  
Notification procedure  
1. When reference is made to this Article, the Member State 
which deems it necessary to adopt new food information legis ­
lation shall notify in advance the Commission and the other 
Member States of the measures envisaged and give the reasons 
justifying them.EN L 304/38 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.20112. The Commission shall consult the Standing Committee on 
the Food Chain and Animal Health set up by Article 58(1) of 
Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 if it considers such consultation 
to be useful or if a Member State so requests. In that case, the 
Commission shall ensure that this process is transparent for all 
stakeholders.  
3. The Member State which deems it necessary to adopt new 
food information legislation may take the envisaged measures 
only 3 months after the notification referred to in paragraph 1, 
provided that it has not received a negative opinion from the 
Commission.  
4. If the Commission’s opinion is negative, and before the 
expiry of the period referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article, 
the Commission shall initiate the examination procedure 
referred to in Article 48(2) in order to determine whether the 
envisaged measures may be implemented subject, if necessary, 
to the appropriate modifications.  
5. Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 22 June 1998 laying down a procedure for the 
provision of information in the field of technical standards 
and regulations and of rules on Information Society services (  1 ) 
shall not apply to the measures falling within the notification 
procedure specified in this Article.  
CHAPTER VII  
IMPLEMENTING, AMENDING AND FINAL PROVISIONS  
Article 46  
Amendments to the Annexes  
In order to take into account technical progress, scientific devel ­
opments, consumers’ health, or consumers’ need for 
information, and subject to the provisions of Article 10(2) 
and Article 21(2) relating to the amendments to Annexes II 
and III, the Commission may, by means of delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 51, amend the Annexes to this Regu ­
lation.  
Article 47  
Transitional period for and date of application of 
implementing measures or delegated acts  
1. Without prejudice to paragraph 2 of this Article, in exer ­
cising the powers conferred by this Regulation to adopt 
measures by means of implementing acts in accordance with 
the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(2) or by 
means of delegated acts in accordance with Article 51 the 
Commission shall:  
(a) establish an appropriate transitional period for application 
of the new measures, during which foods bearing labels not 
complying with the new measures may be placed on the 
market and after which stocks of such foods that have been placed on the market before the end of the transitional 
period may continue to be sold until exhausted; and  
(b) ensure that those measures apply as from 1 April in any 
calendar year.  
2. Paragraph 1 shall not apply in cases of urgency where the 
purpose of the measures referred to in that paragraph is the 
protection of human health.  
Article 48  
Committee  
1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Standing 
Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health established 
by Article 58(1) of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002. That 
Committee is a committee within the meaning of Regulation 
(EU) No 182/2011.  
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of 
Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.  
Where the Committee delivers no opinion, the Commission 
shall not adopt the draft implementing act and the third 
subparagraph of Article 5(4) of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 
shall apply.  
Article 49  
Amendments to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006  
The first and second paragraphs of Article 7 of Regulation (EC) 
No 1924/2006 are replaced by the following:  
‘Nutrition labelling of products on which a nutrition and/or 
health claim is made shall be mandatory, with the exception 
of generic advertising. The information to be provided shall 
consist of that specified in Article 30(1) of Regulation (EU) 
No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food 
information to consumers (*). Where a nutrition and/or 
health claim is made for a nutrient referred to in 
Article 30(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 the amount 
of that nutrient shall be declared in accordance with Articles 
31 to 34 of that Regulation.  
The amount(s) of the substance(s) to which a nutrition or 
health claim relates that does not appear in the nutrition 
labelling shall be stated in the same field of vision as the 
nutrition labelling and be expressed in accordance with 
Articles 31, 32 and 33 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. 
The units of measurement used to express the amount of the 
substance shall be appropriate for the individual substances 
concerned.  
___________  
(*) OJ L 304, 22.11.2011, p. 18’.EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/39  
( 1 ) OJ L 204, 21.7.1998, p. 37.Article 50  
Amendments to Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006  
Paragraph 3 of Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 is 
replaced by the following:  
‘3. Nutrition labelling of products to which vitamins and 
minerals have been added and which are covered by this 
Regulation shall be compulsory. The information to be 
provided shall consist of that specified in Article 30(1) of 
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament 
and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of 
food information to consumers (*) and of the total amounts 
present of the vitamins and minerals when added to the food.  
___________  
(*) OJ L 304, 22.11.2011, p. 18’.  
Article 51  
Exercise of the delegation  
1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the 
Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.  
2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in 
Article 9(3), Article 10(2), Article 12(3), Article 13(4), 
Article 18(5), Article 19(2), Article 21(2), Article 23(2), 
Article 30(6), Article 31(2), Article 36(4) and Article 46 shall 
be conferred on the Commission for a period of 5 years after 
12 December 2011. The Commission shall draw up a report in 
respect of the delegation of power not later than 9 months 
before the end of the 5-year period. The delegation of power 
shall be tacitly extended for periods of an identical duration, 
unless the European Parliament or the Council opposes such 
extension not later than 3 months before the end of each 
period.  
3. The delegation of power referred to in Article 9(3), 
Article 10(2), Article 12(3), Article 13(4), Article 18(5), 
Article 19(2), Article 21(2), Article 23(2), Article 30(6), 
Article 31(2), Article 36(4) and Article 46 may be revoked at 
any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A 
decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the 
power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day 
following the publication of the decision in the  Official Journal 
of the European Union  or on a later date specified therein. It shall 
not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.  
4. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall 
notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the 
Council.  
5. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 9(3), 
Article 10(2), Article 12(3), Article 13(4), Article 18(5), 
Article 19(2), Article 21(2), Article 23(2), Article 30(6), Article 31(2), Article 36(4) and Article 46 shall enter into 
force only if no objection has been expressed either by the 
European Parliament or the Council within a period of 2 
months of notification of that act to the European Parliament 
and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the 
European Parliament and the Council have both informed the 
Commission that they will not object. That period shall be 
extended by 2 months at the initiative of the European 
Parliament or of the Council.  
Article 52  
Urgency procedure  
1. Delegated acts adopted under this Article shall enter into 
force without delay and shall apply as long as no objection is 
expressed in accordance with paragraph 2. The notification of a 
delegated act to the European Parliament and to the Council 
shall state the reasons for the use of the urgency procedure.  
2. Either the European Parliament or the Council may object 
to a delegated act in accordance with the procedure referred to 
in Article 51(5). In such a case, the Commission shall repeal the 
act without delay following the notification of the decision to 
object by the European Parliament or by the Council.  
Article 53  
Repeal  
1. Directives 87/250/EEC, 90/496/EEC, 1999/10/EC, 
2000/13/EC, 2002/67/EC and 2008/5/EC and Regulation (EC) 
No 608/2004 are repealed as from 13 December 2014.  
2. References to the repealed acts shall be construed as 
references to this Regulation.  
Article 54  
Transitional measures  
1. Foods placed on the market or labelled prior to 
13 December 2014 which do not comply with the 
requirements of this Regulation may be marketed until the 
stocks of the foods are exhausted.  
Foods placed on the market or labelled prior to 13 December 
2016 which do not comply with the requirement laid down in 
point (l) of Article 9(1) may be marketed until the stocks of the 
foods are exhausted.  
Foods placed on the market or labelled prior to 1 January 2014 
which do not comply with the requirements laid down in Part B 
of Annex VI may be marketed until the stocks of the foods are 
exhausted.EN L 304/40 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.20112. Between 13 December 2014 and 13 December 2016, 
where the nutrition declaration is provided on a voluntary 
basis, it shall comply with Articles 30 to 35.  
3. Notwithstanding Directive 90/496/EEC, Article 7 of Regu ­
lation (EC) No 1924/2006 and Article 7(3) of Regulation (EC) 
No 1925/2006, foods labelled in accordance with Articles 30 to 
35 of this Regulation may be placed on the market before 
13 December 2014.  
Notwithstanding Commission Regulation (EC) No 1162/2009 
of 30 November 2009 laying down transitional measures for 
the implementation of Regulations (EC) No 853/2004, (EC) 
No 854/2004 and (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (  1 ), foods labelled in accordance 
with Part B of Annex VI to this Regulation may be placed on 
the market before 1 January 2014.  
Article 55  
Entry into force and date of application  
This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following 
its publication in the  Official Journal of the European Union . 
It shall apply from 13 December 2014, with the exception of 
point (l) of Article 9(1), which shall apply from 13 December 
2016, and Part B of Annex VI, which shall apply from 
1 January 2014.  
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.  
Done at Strasbourg, 25 October 2011.  
For the European Parliament 
The President  
J. BUZEK  For the Council 
The President  
M. DOWGIELEWICZEN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/41  
( 1 ) OJ L 314, 1.12.2009, p. 10.ANNEX I  
SPECIFIC DEFINITIONS  
As referred to in Article 2(4)  
1. ‘nutrition declaration’ or ‘nutrition labelling’ means information stating the:  
(a) energy value; or  
(b) energy value and one or more of the following nutrients only:  
— fat (saturates, mono-unsaturates, polyunsaturates),  
— carbohydrate (sugars, polyols, starch),  
— salt,  
— fibre,  
— protein,  
— any of the vitamins or minerals listed in point 1 of Part A of Annex XIII, and present in significant amounts 
as defined in point 2 of Part A of Annex XIII,  
2. ‘fat’ means total lipids, and includes phospholipids;  
3. ‘saturates’ means fatty acids without double bond;  
4. ‘trans fat’ means fatty acids with at least one non-conjugated (namely interrupted by at least one methylene group) 
carbon-carbon double bond in the trans configuration;  
5. ‘mono-unsaturates’ means fatty acids with one cis double bond;  
6. ‘polyunsaturates’ means fatty acids with two or more cis, cis-methylene interrupted double bonds;  
7. ‘carbohydrate’ means any carbohydrate which is metabolised by humans, and includes polyols;  
8. ‘sugars’ means all monosaccharides and disaccharides present in food, but excludes polyols;  
9. ‘polyols’ means alcohols containing more than two hydroxyl groups;  
10. ‘protein’ means the protein content calculated using the formula: protein = total Kjeldahl nitrogen × 6,25;  
11. ‘salt’ means the salt equivalent content calculated using the formula: salt = sodium × 2,5;  
12. ‘fibre’ means carbohydrate polymers with three or more monomeric units, which are neither digested nor absorbed in 
the human small intestine and belong to the following categories:  
— edible carbohydrate polymers naturally occurring in the food as consumed,  
— edible carbohydrate polymers which have been obtained from food raw material by physical, enzymatic or 
chemical means and which have a beneficial physiological effect demonstrated by generally accepted scientific 
evidence,  
— edible synthetic carbohydrate polymers which have a beneficial physiological effect demonstrated by generally 
accepted scientific evidence,  
13. ‘average value’ means the value which best represents the amount of the nutrient which a given food contains, and 
reflects allowances for seasonal variability, patterns of consumption and other factors which may cause the actual 
value to vary.EN L 304/42 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011ANNEX II  
SUBSTANCES OR PRODUCTS CAUSING ALLERGIES OR INTOLERANCES  
1. Cereals containing gluten, namely: wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut or their hybridised strains, and products 
thereof, except:  
(a) wheat based glucose syrups including dextrose (  1 ); 
(b) wheat based maltodextrins (  1 ); 
(c) glucose syrups based on barley;  
(d) cereals used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin;  
2. Crustaceans and products thereof;  
3. Eggs and products thereof;  
4. Fish and products thereof, except:  
(a) fish gelatine used as carrier for vitamin or carotenoid preparations;  
(b) fish gelatine or Isinglass used as fining agent in beer and wine;  
5. Peanuts and products thereof;  
6. Soybeans and products thereof, except:  
(a) fully refined soybean oil and fat (  1 ); 
(b) natural mixed tocopherols (E306), natural D-alpha tocopherol, natural D-alpha tocopherol acetate, and natural 
D-alpha tocopherol succinate from soybean sources;  
(c) vegetable oils derived phytosterols and phytosterol esters from soybean sources;  
(d) plant stanol ester produced from vegetable oil sterols from soybean sources;  
7. Milk and products thereof (including lactose), except:  
(a) whey used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin;  
(b) lactitol;  
8. Nuts, namely: almonds ( Amygdalus communis  L.), hazelnuts ( Corylus avellana ), walnuts ( Juglans regia ), cashews 
(Anacardium occidentale ), pecan nuts ( Carya illinoinensis  (Wangenh.) K. Koch), Brazil nuts ( Bertholletia excelsa ), 
pistachio nuts ( Pistacia vera ), macadamia or Queensland nuts ( Macadamia ternifolia ), and products thereof, except 
for nuts used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin;  
9. Celery and products thereof;  
10. Mustard and products thereof;  
11. Sesame seeds and products thereof;  
12. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites at concentrations of more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre in terms of the total SO  2 
which are to be calculated for products as proposed ready for consumption or as reconstituted according to the 
instructions of the manufacturers;  
13. Lupin and products thereof;  
14. Molluscs and products thereof.EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/43  
( 1 ) And the products thereof, in so far as the process that they have undergone is not likely to increase the level of allergenic ity assessed by 
the Authority for the relevant product from which they originated.ANNEX III  
FOODS FOR WHICH THE LABELLING MUST INCLUDE ONE OR MORE ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS  
TYPE OR CATEGORY OF FOOD  PARTICULARS  
1. Foods packaged in certain gases  
1.1. Foods whose durability has been extended by means 
of packaging gases authorised pursuant to Regulation 
(EC) No 1333/2008.  ‘packaged in a protective atmosphere’.  
2. Foods containing sweeteners  
2.1. Foods containing a sweetener or sweeteners authorised 
pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.  ‘with sweetener(s)’ this statement shall accompany the 
name of the food.  
2.2. Foods containing both an added sugar or sugars and a 
sweetener or sweeteners authorised pursuant to Regu ­
lation (EC) No 1333/2008.  ‘with sugar(s) and sweetener(s)’ this statement shall 
accompany the name of the food.  
2.3. Foods containing aspartame/aspartame-acesulfame salt 
authorised pursuant to Regulation EC) No 1333/2008.  ‘contains aspartame (a source of phenylalanine)’ shall 
appear on the label in cases where aspartame/aspartame- 
acesulfame salt is designated in the list of ingredients only 
by reference to the E number. 
‘contains a source of phenylalanine’ shall appear on the 
label in cases where aspartame/aspartame-acesulfame salt 
is designated in the list of ingredients by its specific name.  
2.4. Foods containing more than 10 % added polyols auth ­
orised pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.  ‘excessive consumption may produce laxative effects’.  
3. Foods containing glycyrrhizinic acid or its ammonium salt  
3.1. Confectionery or beverages containing glycyrrhizinic 
acid or its ammonium salt due to the addition of 
the substance(s) as such or the liquorice plant  
Glycyrrhiza glabra , at concentration of 100 mg/kg or 
10 mg/l or above.  ‘contains liquorice’ shall be added immediately after the list 
of ingredients, unless the term ‘liquorice’ is already included 
in the list of ingredients or in the name of the food. In the 
absence of a list of ingredients, the statement shall 
accompany the name of the food.  
3.2. Confectionary containing glycyrrhizinic acid or its 
ammonium salt due to the addition of the substance(s) 
as such or the liquorice plant  Glycyrrhiza glabra  at 
concentrations of 4 g/kg or above.  ‘contains liquorice – people suffering from hypertension 
should avoid excessive consumption’ shall be added 
immediately after the list of ingredients. In the absence 
of a list of ingredients, the statement shall accompany 
the name of the food.  
3.3. Beverages containing glycyrrhizinic acid or its 
ammonium salt due to the addition of the substance(s) 
as such or the liquorice plant  Glycyrrhiza glabra  at 
concentrations of 50 mg/l or above, or of 300 mg/l 
or above in the case of beverages containing more 
than 1,2 % by volume of alcohol (  1 ). ‘contains liquorice – people suffering from hypertension 
should avoid excessive consumption’ shall be added 
immediately after the list of ingredients. In the absence 
of a list of ingredients, the statement shall accompany 
the name of the food.EN L 304/44 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011TYPE OR CATEGORY OF FOOD  PARTICULARS  
4. Beverages with high caffeine content or foods with added caffeine  
4.1. Beverages, with the exception of those based on 
coffee, tea or coffee or tea extract where the name 
of the food includes the term ‘coffee’ or ‘tea’, which: 
— are intended for consumption without modifi ­
cation and contain caffeine, from whatever 
source, in a proportion in excess of 150 mg/l, or, 
— are in concentrated or dried form and after recon ­
stitution contain caffeine, from whatever source, in 
a proportion in excess of 150 mg/l,  ‘High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or 
pregnant or breast-feeding women’ in the same field of 
vision as the name of the beverage, followed by a 
reference in brackets and in accordance with 
Article 13(1) of this Regulation to the caffeine content 
expressed in mg per 100 ml.  
4.2. Foods other than beverages, where caffeine is added 
with a physiological purpose.  ‘Contains caffeine. Not recommended for children or 
pregnant women’ in the same field of vision as the name 
of the food, followed by a reference in brackets and in 
accordance with Article 13(1) of this Regulation to the 
caffeine content expressed in mg per 100 g/ml. In the 
case of food supplements, the caffeine content shall be 
expressed per portion as recommended for daily 
consumption on the labelling.  
5. Foods with added phytosterols, phytosterol esters, phytostanols or phytostanol esters  
5.1. Foods or food ingredients with added phytosterols, 
phytosterol esters, phytostanols or phytostanol esters.  (1) ‘with added plant sterols’ or ‘with added plant stanols’ 
in the same field of vision as the name of the food; 
(2) the amount of added phytosterols, phytosterol esters, 
phytostanols or phytostanol esters content (expressed 
in % or as g of free plant sterols/plant stanols per 
100 g or 100 ml of the food) shall be stated in the 
list of ingredients; 
(3) a statement that the food is intended exclusively for 
people who want to lower their blood cholesterol level; 
(4) a statement that patients on cholesterol lowering medi ­
cation should only consume the product under medical 
supervision; 
(5) an easily visible statement that the food may not be 
nutritionally appropriate for pregnant or breastfeeding 
women and children under the age of 5 years; 
(6) advice that the food is to be used as part of a balanced 
and varied diet, including regular consumption of fruit 
and vegetables to help maintain carotenoid levels; 
(7) in the same field of vision as the statement required 
under point (3) above, a statement that the 
consumption of more than 3 g/day of added plant 
sterols/plant stanols should be avoided; 
(8) a definition of a portion of the food or food ingredient 
concerned (preferably in g or ml) with the amount of 
the plant sterol/plant stanol that each portion contains.  
6. Frozen meat, frozen meat preparations and frozen unprocessed fishery products  
6.1. Frozen meat, frozen meat preparations and frozen 
unprocessed fishery products.  the date of freezing or the date of first freezing in cases 
where the product has been frozen more than once, in 
accordance with point (3) of Annex X.  
( 1 ) The level shall apply to the products as proposed ready for consumption or as reconstituted according to the instructions of the 
manufacturers.EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/45ANNEX IV  
DEFINITION OF x-HEIGHT  
x-HEIGHT
  
Legend 
1 Ascender line  
2 Cap line  
3 Mean line  
4 Baseline  
5 Descender line  
6 x-height  
7 Font sizeEN L 304/46 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011ANNEX V  
FOODS WHICH ARE EXEMPTED FROM THE REQUIREMENT OF THE MANDATORY NUTRITION 
DECLARATION  
1. Unprocessed products that comprise a single ingredient or category of ingredients;  
2. Processed products which the only processing they have been subjected to is maturing and that comprise a single 
ingredient or category of ingredients;  
3. Waters intended for human consumption, including those where the only added ingredients are carbon dioxide 
and/or flavourings;  
4. A herb, a spice or mixtures thereof;  
5. Salt and salt substitutes;  
6. Table top sweeteners;  
7. Products covered by Directive 1999/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 February 1999 
relating to coffee extracts and chicory extracts (  1 ), whole or milled coffee beans and whole or milled decaffeinated 
coffee beans;  
8. Herbal and fruit infusions, tea, decaffeinated tea, instant or soluble tea or tea extract, decaffeinated instant or soluble 
tea or tea extract, which do not contain other added ingredients than flavourings which do not modify the nutritional 
value of the tea;  
9. Fermented vinegars and substitutes for vinegar, including those where the only added ingredients are flavourings;  
10. Flavourings;  
11. Food additives;  
12. Processing aids;  
13. Food enzymes;  
14. Gelatine;  
15. Jam setting compounds;  
16. Yeast;  
17. Chewing-gums;  
18. Food in packaging or containers the largest surface of which has an area of less than 25 cm  2 ; 
19. Food, including handcrafted food, directly supplied by the manufacturer of small quantities of products to the final 
consumer or to local retail establishments directly supplying the final consumer.EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/47  
( 1 ) OJ L 66, 13.3.1999, p. 26.ANNEX VI  
NAME OF THE FOOD AND SPECIFIC ACCOMPANYING PARTICULARS  
PART A — MANDATORY PARTICULARS ACCOMPANYING THE NAME OF THE FOOD  
1. The name of the food shall include or be accompanied by particulars as to the physical condition of the food or the 
specific treatment which it has undergone (for example, powdered, refrozen, freeze-dried, quick-frozen, concentrated, 
smoked) in all cases where omission of such information could mislead the purchaser.  
2. In the case of foods that have been frozen before sale and which are sold defrosted, the name of the food shall be 
accompanied by the designation ‘defrosted’.  
This requirement shall not apply to the following:  
(a) ingredients present in the final product;  
(b) foods for which freezing is a technologically necessary step of the production process;  
(c) foods for which the defrosting has no negative impact on the safety or quality of the food.  
This point shall apply without prejudice to point 1.  
3. Foods treated with ionising radiation shall bear one of the following indications:  
‘irradiated’ or ‘treated with ionising radiation’, and other indications as stated in Directive 1999/2/EC of the European 
Parliament and of the Council of 22 February 1999 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States 
concerning foods and food ingredients treated with ionising radiation (  1 ). 
4. In the case of foods in which a component or ingredient that consumers expect to be normally used or naturally 
present has been substituted with a different component or ingredient, the labelling shall bear — in addition to the list 
of ingredients — a clear indication of the component or the ingredient that has been used for the partial or whole 
substitution:  
(a) in close proximity to the name of the product; and  
(b) using a font size which has an x-height of at least 75 % of the x-height of the name of the product and which is 
not smaller than the minimum font size required in Article 13(2) of this Regulation.  
5. In the case of meat products, meat preparations and fishery products containing added proteins as such, including 
hydrolysed proteins, of a different animal origin, the name of the food shall bear an indication of the presence of those 
proteins and of their origin.  
6. In the case of meat products and meat preparations which have the appearance of a cut, joint, slice, portion or carcase 
of meat, the name of the food shall include an indication of the presence of added water if the added water makes up 
more than 5 % of the weight of the finished product. The same rules shall apply in the case of fishery products and 
prepared fishery products which have the appearance of a cut, joint, slice, portion, filet or of a whole fishery product.  
7. Meat products, meat preparations and fishery products which may give the impression that they are made of a whole 
piece of meat or fish, but actually consist of different pieces combined together by other ingredients, including food 
additives and food enzymes or by other means, shall bear the following indication:  
in Bulgarian: ‘ формовано  месо ’ and ‘ формована  риба ’; 
in Spanish: ‘combinado de piezas de carne’ and ‘combinado de piezas de pescado’;  
in Czech: ‘ze spojovaných kousk ů masa’ and ‘ze spojovaných kousk ů rybího masa’;  
in Danish: ‘Sammensat af stykker af kød’ and ‘Sammensat af stykker af fisk’;  
in German: ‘aus Fleischstücken zusammengefügt’ and ‘aus Fischstücken zusammengefügt’;EN L 304/48 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011  
( 1 ) OJ L 66, 13.3.1999, p. 16.in Estonian: ‘liidetud liha’ and ‘liidetud kala’;  
in Greek: ‘ μορφοποιημένο  κρέας ’ and ‘ μορφοποιημένο  ψάρι ’; 
in English: ‘formed meat’ and ‘formed fish’;  
in French: ‘viande reconstituée’ and ‘poisson reconstitué’;  
in Irish: ‘píosaí feola ceangailte’ and ‘píosaí éisc ceangailte’;  
in Italian: ‘carne ricomposta’ and ‘pesce ricomposto’;  
in Latvian: ‘form ēta ga ļa’ and ‘form ēta zivs’;  
in Lithuanian: ‘sudarytas (-a) iš m ėsos gabal ų’ and ‘sudarytas (-a) iš žuvies gabal ų’; 
in Hungarian: ‘darabokból újraformázott hús’ and ‘darabokból újraformázott hal’;  
in Maltese: ‘la ħam rikostitwit’ and ‘ ħut rikostitwit’;  
in Dutch: ‘samengesteld uit stukjes vlees’ and ‘samengesteld uit stukjes vis’;  
in Polish: ‘z po łączonych kawa łków mi ęsa’ and ‘z po łączonych kawa łków ryby’;  
in Portuguese: ‘carne reconstituída’ and ‘peixe reconstituído’;  
in Romanian: ‘carne format ă’ and ‘carne de pe ște format ă’; 
in Slovak: ‘spájané alebo formované mäso’ and ‘spájané alebo formované ryby’;  
in Slovenian: ‘sestavljeno, iz koš čkov oblikovano meso’ and ‘sestavljene, iz koš čkov oblikovane ribe’;  
in Finnish: ‘paloista yhdistetty liha’ and ‘paloista yhdistetty kala’;  
in Swedish: ‘sammanfogade bitar av kött’ and ‘sammanfogade bitar av fisk’.  
PART B — SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING THE DESIGNATION OF ‘MINCED MEAT’  
1. Composition criteria checked on the basis of a daily average:  
Fat content  Collagen/meat protein ratio (  1 ) 
— lean minced meat,  ≤ 7 %  ≤ 12 %  
— minced pure beef,  ≤ 20 %  ≤ 15 %  
— minced meat containing pigmeat,  ≤ 30 %  ≤ 18 %  
— minced meat of other species,  ≤ 25 %  ≤ 15 %  
( 1 ) The collagen/meat protein ratio is expressed as the percentage of collagen in meat protein. The collagen content means the 
hydroxyproline content multiplied by a factor of 8.  
2. In addition to the requirements laid down in Chapter IV of Section V of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, 
the following expressions shall appear on the labelling:  
— ‘percentage of fat content under …’,  
— ‘collagen/meat protein ratio under …’,EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/493. The Member States may allow the placing on their national market of minced meat which does not comply with the 
criteria laid down in point 1 of this Part under a national mark that cannot be confused with the marks provided for 
in Article 5(1) of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004.  
PART C — SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING THE DESIGNATION OF SAUSAGE CASINGS  
If a sausage casing is not edible, this must be indicated.EN L 304/50 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011ANNEX VII  
INDICATION AND DESIGNATION OF INGREDIENTS  
PART A — SPECIFIC PROVISIONS CONCERNING THE INDICATION OF INGREDIENTS BY DESCENDING ORDER OF 
WEIGHT  
Category of ingredient  Provision concerning indication by weight  
1. Added water and volatile products  Shall be listed in order of their weight in the finished product. The 
amount of water added as an ingredient in a food shall be calculated 
by deducting from the total amount of the finished product the 
total amount of the other ingredients used. This amount shall not 
be required to be taken into consideration if it does not exceed 5 % 
by weight of the finished product. This derogation does not apply to 
meat, meat preparations, unprocessed fishery products and unpro ­
cessed bivalve molluscs  
2. Ingredients used in concentrated or dehydrated 
form and reconstituted at the time of manu ­
facture  May be listed in order of weight as recorded before their concen ­
tration or dehydration  
3. Ingredients used in concentrated or dehydrated 
foods, which are intended to be reconstituted 
by the addition of water  May be listed in order of proportion in the reconstituted product 
provided that the list of ingredients is accompanied by an 
expression, such as ‘ingredients of the reconstituted product’, or 
‘ingredients of the ready-to-use product’  
4. Fruit, vegetables or mushrooms, none of which 
significantly predominates in terms of weight 
and which are used in proportions that are 
likely to vary, used in a mixture as ingredients 
of a food  May be grouped together in the list of ingredients under the desig ­
nation ‘fruit’, ‘vegetables’ or ‘mushrooms’ followed by the phrase ‘in 
varying proportions’, immediately followed by a list of the fruit, 
vegetables or mushrooms present. In such cases, the mixture shall 
be included in the list of ingredients in accordance with 
Article 18(1), on the basis of the total weight of the fruit, vegetables 
or mushrooms present  
5. Mixtures of spices or herbs, where none 
significantly predominates in proportion by 
weight  May be listed in different order provided that that list of ingredients 
is accompanied by an expression such as ‘in variable proportion’  
6. Ingredients constituting less than 2 % of the 
finished product  May be listed in a different order after the other ingredients  
7. Ingredients, which are similar or mutually 
substitutable, likely to be used in the manu ­
facture or preparation of a food without 
altering its composition, its nature or its 
perceived value, and in so far as they constitute 
less than 2 % of the finished product  May be referred to in the list of ingredients by means of the 
statement ‘contains … and/or …’, where at least one of no more 
than two ingredients is present in the finished product. This 
provision shall not apply to food additives or to ingredients listed 
in Part C of this Annex, and to substances or products listed in 
Annex II causing allergies or intolerances  
8. Refined oils of vegetable origin  May be grouped together in the list of ingredients under the desig ­
nation ‘vegetable oils’ followed immediately by a list of indications 
of specific vegetable origin, and may be followed by the phrase ‘in 
varying proportions’. If grouped together, vegetable oils shall be 
included in the list of ingredients in accordance with 
Article 18(1), on the basis of the total weight of the vegetable 
oils present. 
The expression ‘fully hydrogenated’ or ‘partly hydrogenated’, as 
appropriate, must accompany the indication of a hydrogenated oilEN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/51Category of ingredient  Provision concerning indication by weight  
9. Refined fats of vegetable origin  May be grouped together in the list of ingredients under the desig ­
nation ‘vegetable fats’ followed immediately by a list of indications 
of specific vegetable origin, and may be followed by the phrase ‘in 
varying proportions’. If grouped together, vegetable fats shall be 
included in the list of ingredients in accordance with 
Article 18(1), on the basis of the total weight of the vegetable 
fats present. 
The expression ‘fully hydrogenated’ or ‘partly hydrogenated’, as 
appropriate, must accompany the indication of a hydrogenated fat  
PART B — DESIGNATION OF CERTAIN INGREDIENTS BY THE NAME OF A CATEGORY RATHER THAN A SPECIFIC 
NAME  
Without prejudice to Article 21, ingredients which belong to one of the categories of foods listed below and are 
constituents of another food may be designated by the name of that category rather than the specific name.  
Definition of category of food  Designation  
1. Refined oils of animal origin  ‘Oil’, together with either the adjective ‘animal’, or the 
indication of specific animal origin. 
The expression ‘fully hydrogenated’ or ‘partly hydro ­
genated’, as appropriate, must accompany the indication 
of a hydrogenated oil  
2. Refined fats of animal origin  ‘Fat’, together with either the adjective ‘animal’ or the indi ­
cation of specific animal origin. 
The expression ‘fully hydrogenated’ or ‘partly hydro ­
genated’, as appropriate, must accompany the indication 
of a hydrogenated fat  
3. Mixtures of flour obtained from two or more cereal 
species  ‘Flour’, followed by a list of the cereals from which it has 
been obtained, in descending order by weight  
4. Starches, and starches modified by physical means or 
by enzymes  ‘Starch’  
5. All species of fish where the fish constitutes an 
ingredient of another food and provided that the 
name and presentation of such food does not refer 
to a specific species of fish  ‘Fish’  
6. All types of cheese where the cheese or mixture of 
cheeses constitutes an ingredient of another food and 
provided that the name and presentation of such food 
does not refer to a specific type of cheese  ‘Cheese’  
7. All spices not exceeding 2 % by weight of the food  ‘Spice(s)’ or ‘mixed spices’  
8. All herbs or parts of herbs not exceeding 2 % by 
weight of the food  ‘Herb(s)’ or ‘mixed herbs’  
9. All types of gum preparations used in the manufacture 
of gum base for chewing gum  ‘Gum base’  
10. All types of crumbed baked cereal products  ‘Crumbs’ or ‘rusks’ as appropriateEN L 304/52 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011Definition of category of food  Designation  
11. All types of sucrose  ‘Sugar’  
12. Anhydrous dextrose or dextrose monohydrate  ‘Dextrose’  
13. Glucose syrup and anhydrous glucose syrup  ‘Glucose syrup’  
14. All types of milk protein (caseins, caseinates and whey 
proteins) and mixtures thereof  ‘Milk proteins’  
15. Press, expeller or refined cocoa butter  ‘Cocoa butter’  
16. All types of wine as covered by Annex XIb to Regu ­
lation (EC) No 1234/2007 (  1 ) ‘Wine’  
17. Skeletal muscles (  2 ) of mammalian and bird species 
recognised as fit for human consumption with 
naturally included or adherent tissue, where the total 
fat and connective tissue content does not exceed the 
values indicated below and where the meat constitutes 
an ingredient of another food. 
Maximum fat and connective tissue contents for 
ingredients designated by the term ‘… meat’  
Species  Fat 
content  Collagen/meat 
protein ratio (  1 ) 
— Mammals (other than 
rabbits and porcines) 
and mixtures of species 
with mammals pre- 
dominating,  25 %  25 %  
— Porcines,  30 %  25 %  
— Birds and rabbits,  15 %  10 %  
( 1 ) The collagen/meat protein ratio is expressed as the 
percentage of collagen in meat protein. The collagen 
content means the hydroxyproline content multiplied by 
a factor of 8.  
If these maximum limits are exceeded, but all other 
criteria for the definition of ‘meat’ are satisfied, the 
‘… meat’ content must be adjusted downwards 
accordingly and the list of ingredients must mention, 
in addition to the term ‘… meat’, the presence of fat 
and/or connective tissue. 
The products covered by the definition of ‘mech ­
anically separated meat’ are excluded from this defi ­
nition  ‘… meat’ and the name(s) (  3 ) of the animal species from 
which it comes  
18. All types of products covered by the definition of 
‘mechanically separated meat’  ‘mechanically separated meat’ and the name(s) (  3 ) of the 
animal species from which it comes  
( 1 ) Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 of 22 October 2007 establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on 
specific provisions for certain agricultural products (Single CMO Regulation) (OJ L 299, 16.11.2007, p. 1). 
( 2 ) The diaphragm and the masseters are part of the skeletal muscles, while the heart, tongue, the muscles of the head (other tha n the 
masseters), the muscles of the carpus, the tarsus and the tail are excluded. 
( 3 ) For labelling in English, this designation may be replaced by the generic name of the ingredient for the animal species conce rned.EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/53PART C — DESIGNATION OF CERTAIN INGREDIENTS BY THE NAME OF THEIR CATEGORY FOLLOWED BY THEIR 
SPECIFIC NAME OR E NUMBER  
Without prejudice to Article 21, food additives and food enzymes other than those specified in point (b) of Article 20 
belonging to one of the categories listed in this Part must be designated by the name of that category, followed by their 
specific name or, if appropriate, E number. If an ingredient belongs to more than one of the categories, the category 
appropriate to the principal function in the case of the food in question shall be indicated.  
Acid  
Acidity regulator  
Anti-caking agent  
Anti-foaming agent  
Antioxidant  
Bulking agent  
Colour  
Emulsifier  
Emulsifying salts (  1 ) 
Firming agent  
Flavour enhancer  
Flour treatment agent  Foaming agent  
Gelling agent  
Glazing agent  
Humectant  
Modified starch (  2 ) 
Preservative  
Propellent gas  
Raising agent  
Sequestrant  
Stabiliser  
Sweetener  
Thickener  
( 1 ) Only for processed cheeses and products based on processed cheeses.  
( 2 ) The specific name or E number shall not be required to be indicated.  
PART D — DESIGNATION OF FLAVOURINGS IN THE LIST OF INGREDIENTS  
1. Flavourings shall be designated either by the terms:  
— ‘flavouring(s)’ or by a more specific name or description of the flavouring if the flavouring component contains 
flavourings as defined in points (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g) and (h) of Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008,  
— ‘smoke flavouring(s)’, or ‘smoke flavouring(s) produced from food(s) or food category or source(s)’ (e.g. ‘smoke 
flavouring produced from beech’), if the flavouring component contains flavourings as defined in point (f) of 
Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 and imparts a smoky flavour to the food.  
2. The term ‘natural’ for the description of flavourings shall be used in accordance with Article 16 of Regulation (EC) 
No 1334/2008.  
3. Quinine and/or caffeine used as a flavouring in the production or preparation of a food shall be mentioned by name 
in the list of ingredients immediately after the term ‘flavouring(s)’.  
PART E — DESIGNATION OF COMPOUND INGREDIENTS  
1. A compound ingredient may be included in the list of ingredients, under its own designation in so far as this is laid 
down by law or established by custom, in terms of its overall weight, and immediately followed by a list of its 
ingredients.  
2. Without prejudice to Article 21, the list of ingredients for compound ingredients shall not be compulsory:  
(a) where the composition of the compound ingredient is defined in current Union provisions, and in so far as the 
compound ingredient constitutes less than 2 % of the finished product; however, this provision shall not apply to 
food additives, subject to points (a) to (d) of Article 20;  
(b) for compound ingredients consisting of mixtures of spices and/or herbs that constitute less than 2 % of the 
finished product, with the exception of food additives, subject to points (a) to (d) of Article 20; or  
(c) where the compound ingredient is a food for which a list of ingredients is not required under Union provisions.EN L 304/54 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011ANNEX VIII  
QUANTITATIVE INDICATION OF INGREDIENTS  
1. The quantitative indication shall not be required:  
(a) in respect of an ingredient or category of ingredients:  
(i) the drained net weight of which is indicated in accordance with point 5 of Annex IX;  
(ii) the quantities of which must already appear on the labelling under Union provisions;  
(iii) which is used in small quantities for the purposes of flavouring; or  
(iv) which, while appearing in the name of the food, is not such as to govern the choice of the consumer in the 
country of marketing because the variation in quantity is not essential to characterise the food or does not 
distinguish it from similar foods;  
(b) where specific Union provisions stipulate precisely the quantity of an ingredient or of a category of ingredients 
without providing for the indication thereof on the labelling; or  
(c) in the cases referred to in points 4 and 5 of Part A of Annex VII.  
2. Points (a) and (b) of Article 22(1) shall not apply in the case of:  
(a) any ingredient or category of ingredients covered by the indication ‘with sweetener(s)’ or ‘with sugar(s) and 
sweetener(s)’ if that indication accompanies the name of the food, pursuant Annex III; or  
(b) any added vitamin and mineral if that substance is subject to a nutrition declaration.  
3. The indication of quantity of an ingredient or category of ingredients shall:  
(a) be expressed as a percentage, which shall correspond to the quantity of the ingredient or ingredients at the time of 
its/their use; and  
(b) appear either in or immediately next to the name of the food or in the list of ingredients in connection with the 
ingredient or category of ingredients in question.  
4. By way of derogation from point 3:  
(a) where foods have lost moisture following heat treatment or other treatment, the quantity shall be expressed as a 
percentage which shall correspond to the quantity of the ingredient(s) used, related to the finished product, unless 
that quantity or the total quantity of all the ingredients indicated on the labelling exceeds 100 %, in which case the 
quantity shall be indicated on the basis of the weight of the ingredient(s) used to prepare 100 g of finished 
product;  
(b) the quantity of volatile ingredients shall be indicated on the basis of their proportion by weight in the finished 
product;  
(c) the quantity of ingredients used in concentrated or dehydrated form and reconstituted during manufacture may be 
indicated on the basis of their proportion by weight as recorded before their concentration or dehydration;  
(d) in the case of concentrated or dehydrated foods which are intended to be reconstituted by the addition of water, 
the quantity of the ingredients may be indicated on the basis of their proportion by weight in the reconstituted 
product.EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/55ANNEX IX  
NET QUANTITY DECLARATION  
1. The net quantity declaration shall not be mandatory in the case of foods:  
(a) which are subject to considerable losses in their volume or mass and which are sold by number or weighed in the 
presence of the purchaser;  
(b) the net quantity of which is less than 5 g or 5 ml; however, this provision shall not apply to spices and herbs; or  
(c) normally sold by number, provided that the number of items can clearly be seen and easily counted from the 
outside or, if not, is indicated on the labelling.  
2. Where the indication of a certain type of quantity (such as the nominal quantity, minimum quantity, or average 
quantity) is required by Union provisions or, where there are none, by national provisions, this quantity shall be 
regarded as the net quantity for the purposes of this Regulation.  
3. Where a prepacked item consists of two or more individual prepacked items containing the same quantity of the same 
product, the net quantity shall be indicated by mentioning the net quantity contained in each individual package and 
the total number of such packages. The indication of those particulars shall not, however, be mandatory where the 
total number of individual packages can be clearly seen and easily counted from the outside and where at least one 
indication of the net quantity contained in each individual package can be clearly seen from the outside.  
4. Where a prepacked item consists of two or more individual packages which are not regarded as units of sale, the net 
quantity shall be given by indicating the total net quantity and the total number of individual packages.  
5. Where a solid food is presented in a liquid medium, the drained net weight of the food shall also be indicated. Where 
the food has been glazed, the declared net weight of the food shall be exclusive of the glaze.  
For the purposes of this point, ‘liquid medium’ shall mean the following products, possibly in mixtures and also where 
frozen or quick-frozen, provided that the liquid is merely an adjunct to the essential elements of that preparation and 
is thus not a decisive factor for the purchase: water, aqueous solutions of salts, brine, aqueous solutions of food acids, 
vinegar, aqueous solutions of sugars, aqueous solutions of other sweetening substances, fruit or vegetable juices in the 
case of fruit or vegetables.EN L 304/56 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011ANNEX X  
DATE OF MINIMUM DURABILITY, ‘USE BY’ DATE AND DATE OF FREEZING  
1. The date of minimum durability shall be indicated as follows:  
(a) the date shall be preceded by the words:  
— ‘Best before …’ when the date includes an indication of the day,  
— ‘Best before end …’ in other cases,  
(b) the words referred to in point (a) shall be accompanied by:  
— either the date itself, or,  
— a reference to where the date is given on the labelling,  
If need be, these particulars shall be followed by a description of the storage conditions which must be observed if 
the product is to keep for the specified period;  
(c) the date shall consist of the day, the month and possibly, the year, in that order and in uncoded form.  
However, in the case of foods:  
— which will not keep for more than 3 months, an indication of the day and the month shall be sufficient,  
— which will keep for more than 3 months but not more than 18 months, an indication of the month and year 
shall be sufficient,  
— which will keep for more than 18 months, an indication of the year shall be sufficient,  
(d) subject to Union provisions imposing other types of date indication, an indication of the date of minimum 
durability shall not be required for:  
— fresh fruit and vegetables, including potatoes, which have not been peeled, cut or similarly treated; this 
derogation shall not apply to sprouting seeds and similar products such as legume sprouts,  
— wines, liqueur wines, sparkling wines, aromatised wines, and similar products obtained from fruit other than 
grapes, and beverages falling within CN code 2206 00 obtained from grapes or grape musts,  
— beverages containing 10 % or more by volume of alcohol,  
— bakers’ or pastry cooks’ wares which, given the nature of their content, are normally consumed within 24 
hours of their manufacture,  
— vinegar,  
— cooking salt,  
— solid sugar,  
— confectionery products consisting almost solely of flavoured and/or coloured sugars,  
— chewing gums and similar chewing products,EN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/572. The ‘use by’ date shall be indicated as follows:  
(a) it shall be preceded by the words ‘use by …’;  
(b) the words in point (a) shall be accompanied by:  
— either the date itself, or,  
— a reference to where the date is given on the labelling,  
Those particulars shall be followed by a description of the storage conditions which must be observed;  
(c) the date shall consist of the day, the month and, possibly, the year, in that order and in uncoded form;  
(d) the ‘use by’ date shall be indicated on each individual prepacked portion.  
3. The date of freezing or the date of first freezing as referred to in point 6 of Annex III shall be indicated as follows:  
(a) it shall be preceded by the words ‘Frozen on …’;  
(b) the words referred to in point (a) shall be accompanied by:  
— the date itself, or,  
— a reference to where the date is given on the labelling,  
(c) the date shall consist of the day, the month and the year, in that order and in uncoded form.EN L 304/58 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011ANNEX XI  
TYPES OF MEAT FOR WHICH THE INDICATION OF THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN OR PLACE OF 
PROVENANCE IS MANDATORY  
CN codes 
(Combined Nomenclature 2010)  Description  
0203  Meat of swine, fresh, chilled or frozen  
0204  Meat of sheep or goats, fresh, chilled or frozen  
Ex 0207  Meat of the poultry of heading 0105, fresh, chilled or 
frozenEN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/59ANNEX XII  
ALCOHOLIC STRENGTH  
The actual alcoholic strength by volume of beverages containing more than 1,2 % by volume of alcohol shall be indicated 
by a figure to not more than one decimal place. It shall be followed by the symbol ‘% vol.’ and may be preceded by the 
word ‘alcohol’ or the abbreviation ‘alc’.  
The alcoholic strength shall be determined at 20 °C.  
Positive and negative allowed tolerances in respect of the indication of the alcoholic strength by volume and expressed in 
absolute values shall be as listed in the following table. They shall apply without prejudice to the tolerances deriving from 
the method of analysis used for determining the alcoholic strength.  
Description of beverage  Positive or negative tolerance  
1. Beers of CN code 2203 00 having an alcoholic strength 
not exceeding 5,5 % vol.; still beverages falling within 
CN code 2206 00 obtained from grapes  0,5 % vol.  
2. Beers having an alcoholic strength exceeding 5,5 % vol.; 
sparkling beverages falling within CN code 2206 00 
obtained from grapes, ciders, perries, fruit wines and 
the like, obtained from fruit other than grapes, 
whether or not semi-sparkling or sparkling; mead  1 % vol.  
3. Beverages containing macerated fruit or parts of plants  1,5 % vol.  
4. Any other beverages containing more than 1,2 % by 
volume of alcohol  0,3 % vol.EN L 304/60 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011ANNEX XIII  
REFERENCE INTAKES  
PART A — DAILY REFERENCE INTAKES FOR VITAMINS AND MINERALS (ADULTS)  
1. Vitamins and minerals which may be declared and their nutrient reference values (NRVs) 
Vitamin A ( μg) 800  
Vitamin D ( μg) 5  
Vitamin E (mg)  12  
Vitamin K ( μg) 75  
Vitamin C (mg)  80  
Thiamin (mg)  1,1  
Riboflavin (mg)  1,4  
Niacin (mg)  16  
Vitamin B6 (mg)  1,4  
Folic acid ( μg) 200  
Vitamin B12 ( μg) 2,5  
Biotin ( μg) 50  
Pantothenic acid (mg)  6  
Potassium (mg)  2 000  Chloride (mg)  800  
Calcium (mg)  800  
Phosphorus (mg)  700  
Magnesium (mg)  375  
Iron (mg)  14  
Zinc (mg)  10  
Copper (mg)  1  
Manganese (mg)  2  
Fluoride (mg)  3,5  
Selenium( μg) 55  
Chromium ( μg) 40  
Molybdenum ( μg) 50  
Iodine ( μg) 150  
2. Significant amount of vitamins and minerals  
As a rule, the following values should be taken into consideration in deciding what constitutes a significant amount:  
— 15 % of the nutrient reference values specified in point 1 supplied by 100 g or 100 ml in the case of products 
other than beverages,  
— 7,5 % of the nutrient reference values specified in point 1 supplied by 100 ml in the case of beverages, or,  
— 15 % of the nutrient reference values specified in point 1 per portion if the package contains only a single portion,  
PART B — REFERENCE INTAKES FOR ENERGY AND SELECTED NUTRIENTS OTHER THAN VITAMINS AND 
MINERALS (ADULTS)  
Energy or nutrient  Reference intake  
Energy  8 400 kJ/2 000 kcal  
Total fat  70 g  
Saturates  20 g  
Carbohydrate  260 g  
Sugars  90 g  
Protein  50 g  
Salt 6 gEN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/61ANNEX XIV  
CONVERSION FACTORS  
CONVERSION FACTORS FOR THE CALCULATION OF ENERGY  
The energy value to be declared shall be calculated using the following conversion factors: 
— carbohydrate (except polyols),  17 kJ/g — 4 kcal/g  
— polyols,  10 kJ/g — 2,4 kcal/g  
— protein,  17 kJ/g — 4 kcal/g  
— fat,  37 kJ/g — 9 kcal/g  
— salatrims,  25 kJ/g — 6 kcal/g  
— alcohol (ethanol),  29 kJ/g — 7 kcal/g  
— organic acid,  13 kJ/g — 3 kcal/g  
— fibre,  8 kJ/g — 2 kcal/g  
— erythritol,  0 kJ/g — 0 kcal/gEN L 304/62 Official Journal of the European Union 22.11.2011ANNEX XV  
EXPRESSION AND PRESENTATION OF NUTRITION DECLARATION  
The units of measurement to be used in the nutrition declaration for energy (kilojoules (kJ) and kilocalories (kcal)) and 
mass (grams (g), milligrams (mg) or micrograms ( μg)) and the order of presentation of the information, as appropriate, 
shall be the following:  
energy  kJ/kcal  
fat g  
of which  
— saturates,  g  
— mono-unsaturates,  g  
— polyunsaturates,  g  
carbohydrate  g  
of which  
— sugars,  g  
— polyols,  g  
— starch,  g  
fibre  g  
protein  g  
salt g  
vitamins and minerals  the units specified in point 1 of Part A of Annex XIIIEN 22.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 304/63