Oct 15th, 2020
7 mins
The government has updated the guidance on the labelling requirements for Food and Drink from 1st January 2021. The guidance provides detail for Exporting to the EU as well as Goods sold in Great Britain (GB) and Northern Ireland (NI).
Exporting to the EU
- Always check with your EU importer to see how the EU’s labelling requirements affect your products.
- Food of Animal Origin placed on the EU market before 1st January 2021 can continue to circulate without labelling changes.
- Food of Non-Animal Origin placed on the UK or EU market before 1st January 2021 can continue to circulate both in the UK and EU markets without labelling changes.
- All food placed on the EU market from 1st January 2021 will have to meet EU rules.
- Pre-packaged food and caseins must have an EU or NI address for the FBO, or an address of the EU or NI importer on the packaging or food label.
- You must not use the EU organics logo from 1st January unless:
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- your UK control body is authorised by the EU to certify UK goods for export to the EU
- the UK and the EU agree to recognise each other’s standards (called ‘equivalency’)
- Contact your control body to stay up to date.
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- Read more about trading and labelling organic food from 1 January 2021.
- If the UK does not reach an equivalency deal with the EU, you will not be able to export organic food to the EU labelled as organic. However, you can still export the food using non-organic labelling if it meets all other marketing standards and you remove or cover any organic labelling.
- You will not be able to use the EU emblem on goods produced in GB from 1st January 2021 unless authorisation by the EU has been given.
- Country of Origin labelling:
- Food from NI can continue to use ‘Origin EU’
- Food from GB must not be labelled as’ Origin EU’ from 1st January 2021.
- Read more about country of origin food labelling.
Goods sold in Great Britain and Northern Ireland
This guidance is subject to the agreement with devolved administrations and Parliamentary process.
- Goods sold in NI will continue to follow EU rules for labelling, but some labelling changes may be required.
- All labelling changes required for goods sold in GB must be done by 30th September 2022.
- Local authorities in GB will be responsible for enforcement of labelling changes
- Labels can contain other information if you need to comply with labelling requirements for another market.
- You can continue using an EU, GB or NI address for the FBO on pre-packaged food or caseins sold in GB until 30th September 2022. However, from 1st October 2022, all pre-packaged food or caseins sold in GB must include a UK address for the FBO. If the FBO is not in the UK, include the address of an importer.
- You are not able to use the EU organic logo on any UK organic food or feed from 1st January 2021 unless:
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- your control body is authorised by the EU to certify UK goods for export to the EU
- the UK and the EU agree to recognise each other’s standards (called equivalency)
- You can continue to use your approved UK organic control body logo in GB.
- In GB you are required to change the statement of agriculture to ‘UK agriculture’ or ‘UK and non-UK agriculture’.
- Find out more about trading and labelling organic food from 1 January 2021.
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- Country of Origin labelling:
- Food that comes from and is sold in NI can continue to use ‘Origins EU’ from 1st January 2021
- Food that comes from and is sold in GB can be labelled as ‘Origin EU’ until 30th September 2022.
- From 1st October 2022, food from GB must not be labelled as ‘Origin EU’
- Read more about country of origin food labelling.
- For more information and specific labelling rules regarding the following goods Minced Meat, Fruit and Vegetables, Olive Oil, Honey Blends, Beef and Veal and Eggs or Geographical Indication, click here.
To read the guidance in full on Gov.uk, click here.
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