Nutrition declaration is the mandatory tabular statement on prepacked food showing energy value and the amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt per 100 g or 100 ml, as required by Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, enabling buyers and consumers to compare products on a standard basis.
In trade practice
Suppliers generate nutrition declarations from laboratory analysis, recipe calculation or recognised food composition databases, with laboratory analysis preferred for traded commodities where composition varies by origin or season. The declaration must follow the prescribed order and format set out in Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, and voluntary additions such as vitamins or fibre must meet the significance thresholds defined therein. Private-label buyers typically require the declaration to be verified by an accredited laboratory before artwork approval. A common error is expressing values per serving only, without the mandatory per-100 g or per-100 ml column.
In a specification
Specifications and label briefs should state whether the nutrition declaration is to be based on laboratory analysis or calculation, identify any voluntary nutrients to be included, and confirm the reference quantity to be used.