Food Labelling Compliance for Export: What Agro Exporters Must Know

Food labelling is one of the most common reasons international agro and food shipments are rejected at border inspection — not because the product is unsafe, but because the label doesn't comply with the destination country's regulations. This guide covers the mandatory labelling requirements for the EU, US, UK, and Gulf (GCC) markets.

Why labelling rejections happen

Most labelling rejections fall into four categories:

1. Missing mandatory fields (e.g. allergen declaration, nutrition information)
2. Incorrect language — labels must appear in the official language(s) of the destination market
3. Claims not permitted in the destination market (health claims, organic claims without recognised certification)
4. Date format errors or absent storage conditions

EU food labelling requirements (Regulation 1169/2011)

The EU Food Information Regulation (FIR) 1169/2011 is the primary framework. For pre-packaged foods imported into the EU:

Mandatory fields

• Product name — legal name under EU food standards
• Ingredient list — in descending order by weight as present at manufacturing stage
• Allergen declaration — 14 major allergens must be highlighted (bold, italics, underline, or different font) within the ingredient list
• Net quantity — in metric units (g, kg, ml, L)
• Best before / Use by date — "Best before" for shelf-stable products; "Use by" for microbiologically perishable foods
• Storage conditions — if different from ambient (e.g. "Store below 5°C")
• Country of origin or place of provenance — mandatory for meat, fish, honey, olive oil, fresh/chilled/frozen fruit and vegetables
• Responsible party in EU — name and address of importer or EU-based entity responsible for the product
• Nutrition declaration — mandatory since 2016; must include energy (kJ and kcal), fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein, and salt
• Language — all mandatory information must be in the official language(s) of the member state(s) where the product is sold

US FDA food labelling requirements

US food labelling is governed by the FDA under 21 CFR Part 101 and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

Mandatory fields for FDA import compliance

• Statement of identity — common or usual name of the product
• Net quantity of contents — in both metric and US customary units
• Ingredient list — in descending order by weight
• Allergen declaration — 9 major allergens (milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, soybeans, sesame since 2023) must be declared using the common name, either in the ingredient list or in a separate "Contains:" statement
• Nutrition Facts label — mandatory format with specified serving size, calories, and nutrient declarations. Updated FDA Nutrition Facts format (effective since 2020) is required.
• Name and address of the US responsible party — manufacturer, packer, or distributor address in the US
• Country of origin — required for COOL-regulated commodities

UK food labelling requirements (post-Brexit)

Since 1 January 2021, Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) operates under retained EU food law with divergences. Key requirements:

• A UK address (Great Britain address) must appear on labels — EU-only addresses are not sufficient for GB market
• Allergen labelling follows retained EU Regulation 1169/2011 (14 allergens)
• Nutrition labelling format: the government recommends the Reference Intake (RI) format with optional traffic light front-of-pack
• HFSS restrictions: high fat, sugar, salt products face additional marketing and placement restrictions in UK retail from October 2025 — though labelling itself is not required to flag HFSS status
• Northern Ireland continues to follow EU food labelling rules (Windsor Framework)

GCC / Gulf food labelling requirements

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) follows GSO (Gulf Standardization Organization) standards. Key requirements for food imports to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman:

• Labels must be in Arabic (may include additional languages alongside)
• Production date and expiry date must both appear (use-by alone is insufficient)
• Halal certification must appear on all meat, poultry, and gelatin-containing products
• Country of origin must appear in Arabic
• GSO 9:2013 governs general food labelling requirements across GCC
• Some GCC countries require product registration with the national food authority before import (SFDA for Saudi Arabia)

Common labelling errors and how to avoid them

When sourcing agro commodities through TradesLynk, verified supplier profiles include certification and compliance information that can inform your pre-import due diligence. Post an RFQ specifying your destination market and required label compliance to receive pre-qualified quotes.