Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers sets the rule: mandatory particulars must appear in a language easily understood by the consumers of the member states where the food is marketed. Member states in which a food is marketed may require those particulars to be given in one or more of the official languages of the Union.
What that means in practice
It is a market-by-market question, not a Union-wide one. A pack destined for Germany, Poland and Romania in the same production run normally carries three languages, or is produced in three versions. Multilingual packs are permitted, and the regulation does not prevent particulars being given in several languages at once, provided the legibility requirements are still met on the smallest pack in the range.
The legibility requirement is where multilingual packs fail. The regulation sets a minimum x-height for mandatory particulars, and a third language squeezed onto an existing panel usually breaches it before it breaches anything else.
What is not translated
- The lot number prefix and the date format follow the rules in the regulation and in Directive 2011/91/EU rather than local preference.
- Legal names of foods reserved by Union or national law have to be used as reserved, not translated freely.
- Allergen emphasis in the ingredient list applies in every language version, not only the first.
Get the language list from the customer at specification stage, in writing, and check it again if the customer adds a market. Retrospective relabelling of a frozen pallet is expensive and is a food safety risk in itself. The full set of mandatory particulars is covered in the EU labelling guide.
Vorezan is an information platform, not a legal adviser. Confirm the current consolidated text of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 and any national requirement in the market of sale.