Food Standards Office Publishes Labelling Rules and List of Declarable Allergens

The Food Standards Office of the Velocity Interoperability Network today published the rules governing the labelling of food sold within the Network. The rules set out the particulars that every prepacked food must carry, the manner in which ingredients and allergens must be declared, and the information that must be made available for food sold loose or prepared on the premises.

Fourteen allergens must be declared wherever they are present as an ingredient or processing aid, and must be emphasised in the list of ingredients so that they stand out from the other ingredients. The list of declarable allergens, the mandatory particulars and the rules on durability dates, quantity and origin are set out on the Labelling page of this site.

The rules take effect on 1 December 2026. Food labelled before that date under the arrangements of the member organisation concerned may continue to be sold until 28 February 2027, after which any food not labelled in accordance with the rules will be treated as non-compliant. Of the five food alerts issued during the transition period, three concerned allergens that were present but not declared on the label.