Food label maker

Rules differ by country, by state and by the kind of food, so check with your local food authority. Here is what two official sources list for packaged food.

• United States (FDA): besides nutrition labeling, the mandatory information is the statement of identity (the name of the food), net quantity of contents, the ingredient statement, and the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor. Ingredients go in descending order of predominance by weight.
• United Kingdom (GOV.UK): the name of the food, a best before or use-by date if required, net quantity, the ingredients if there is more than one, any special storage conditions, and a name and address, among others. Ingredients go in order of weight, main ingredient first, under a heading with the word "Ingredients".

Selling from home in the US? FDA tells home-based food businesses to learn the regulations of FDA and of their state and local health department. State and local rules apply on top of FDA rules, so ask your state or local health department what your label must say.

• UK and EU (14): highlight allergens in the ingredients list with a different font, style or background colour. Turn on Bold the allergens in the ingredients.
• US (9): milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. Name them in brackets after the ingredient or in a "Contains" statement. For tree nuts, fish and shellfish, name the type. The Contains: line adds the nut or fish from your ingredients.

Food made and packed in the same shop in the UK (prepacked for direct sale)? Use our PPDS allergen label maker, which follows those rules.