Last updated on 31 January 2013

Front-of-pack nutrition labelling

On 24 October 2012, following a three-month consultation with retailers, manufacturers and other interested parties, the Minister for Public Health in Scotland announced a new, consistent system of front-of-pack labelling that combines guideline daily amounts (GDA) and traffic light colour coding, and consideration of the inclusion of high/medium/low text.

The consultation on front-of-pack nutrition labelling was held from 14 May to 6 August 2012, and asked 16 questions to help determine the best way to achieve more consistent labelling. The response to the joint UK consultation has now been published and can be found by clicking the link towards the bottom of this page.

The UK Governments are now working with industry and consumer organisations to agree the detail of the system and to further develop guidance on the scheme to ensure that it provides the best information for consumers – on front of packs – on how much fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar, and how many calories are in food products. The new label is expected to be in use by summer 2013.

Technical guidance

The Food Standards Agency issued technical guidance in 2007 to help businesses design front-of-pack labelling for their products.

The technical guidance includes the nutritional criteria that underpin the traffic light colours and advice on label design, as well as example visuals.

Background to the development of front-of-pack labelling and its evaluation can be found on the National Archive website.

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