Guide · Labelling

How to create a food label — the mandatory particulars, step by step

2 July 2026 · about 6 min read

Anyone placing packaged food on the market — a bakery, a small producer, a caterer — has to label it under the EU Food Information Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011). This guide shows which particulars are mandatory, how the nutrition table is built, and what matters for allergens and font size.

What the Regulation does

It settles, across the EU, what information consumers must find on a food. It has applied since 13 December 2014; the mandatory nutrition declaration followed on 13 December 2016. The aim is that buying decisions rest on clear, comparable and non-misleading information.

The mandatory particulars at a glance

Article 9 lists what prepacked food has to carry:

• The name of the food (what it actually is, not a fantasy name)
• The list of ingredients in descending order of weight
• Allergens from Annex II — emphasised within the list of ingredients
• QUID — the quantity of certain ingredients (“strawberries 40 %”)
• The net quantity
• The date of minimum durability or ‘use by’ date
• Special storage or use conditions, where needed
• The name and address of the food business operator
• The country of origin or place of provenance, in certain cases
• Instructions for use, where it would be difficult to use the food without them
• The alcoholic strength for drinks above 1.2 % by volume
• The nutrition declaration

The nutrition declaration: the “big seven”

The nutrition table has to carry seven values — always per 100 g or 100 ml, and in this order:

Value	Example per 100 g
Energy (kJ / kcal)	1026 kJ / 243 kcal
Fat	3.2 g
– of which saturates	0.6 g
Carbohydrate	41.0 g
– of which sugars	2.1 g
Protein	8.9 g
Salt	1.1 g

Fibre, mono- and polyunsaturates, polyols, vitamins and minerals may be added voluntarily — the last two only where present in a significant amount. The energy value is calculated from the nutrient contents, so a correct data basis (the official German Federal Food Key, for instance) matters. It has to appear in both units — the kJ to kcal converter does that for you.

Allergens: 14 substances, clearly emphasised

Annex II names 14 groups of substances as the most frequent triggers of allergies and intolerances — among them cereals containing gluten, eggs, milk, soya, peanuts, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame and sulphites. Under Article 21 they have to be emphasised in the list of ingredients “through a typeset that clearly distinguishes it from the rest of the list of ingredients, for example by means of the font, style or background colour”. In practice that is usually bold type:

Wholemeal rye flour, water, wholemeal wheat flour, sunflower seeds, sourdough (wholemeal rye flour, water), sesame seeds, salt, yeast.

Unintended traces are commonly added as well (“may contain traces of …”) — that statement is voluntary. For food sold loose (a counter, a restaurant), Article 44(1)(a) still makes the allergen particulars mandatory; the means are set nationally, in Germany by § 4 LMIDV.

Font size and legibility

Mandatory particulars have to be easy to read. Article 13(2) requires a minimum x-height of 1,2 mm (the x-height is defined in Annex IV). For small packaging “the largest surface of which has an area of less than 80 cm²”, Article 13(3) allows 0,9 mm. The x-height is the height of the lower-case “x” of the typeface — not the cap height.

The font size is what then determines how big the label has to be. That step is covered in food label size.

Five steps to a compliant label

1. Record the recipe — every ingredient with its quantity.
2. Calculate the nutrition values — normalised to 100 g, baking or cooking loss included.
3. Determine the allergens — derive them from the ingredients and emphasise them.
4. Assemble the mandatory particulars — name, QUID, net quantity, date, responsible operator.
5. Check the layout — font size, the order of the nutrition values, completeness.

Frequently asked questions

Which nutrition values have to be on a food label?

The seven values of the nutrition declaration per 100 g or 100 ml: energy (in kJ and kcal), fat, of which saturates, carbohydrate, of which sugars, protein and salt.

Do allergens have to be specially emphasised?

Yes. Under Article 21 the 14 allergens have to be emphasised in the list of ingredients through a typeset that clearly distinguishes them from the rest — typically bold type.

How large does the type on a food label have to be?

The mandatory particulars need a minimum x-height of 1,2 mm. For small packaging whose largest surface is less than 80 cm2, an x-height of 0,9 mm is sufficient.

Not to be confused: packaging labelling

Since 12 August 2026 the EU Packaging Regulation applies on top of this. It concerns not the food label but the packaging as an object — material pictograms, re-use, deposit systems. Which duty applies from when, and why the widely quoted 12 August 2028 is not a fixed date, is set out in PPWR labelling: which duty applies from when.

This article is general information and does not replace legal advice. What counts is the wording of the regulation as it applies at the time (Articles 9, 13, 21 and 30 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011). The English text of the Regulation is quoted from the consolidated version of 1 April 2025 on EUR-Lex (CELEX 02011R1169-20250401).