The packaging and labeling of food is subject to regulation in most regions/jurisdictions, both to prevent false advertising and to promote food safety.

Regulations by type

Multi-faceted

* Codex Alimentarius (international voluntary standard)

Ingredients and basic nutrition

* Calorie count laws (restaurants) *

Ingredients An ingredient is a substance that forms part of a mixture (in a general sense). For example, in cooking, recipes specify which ingredients are used to prepare a specific dish. Many commercial products contain secret ingredients that are purport ...

list * Nutrition facts label * ame & address of manufacturer* ate:

Nutritional rating systems

* Nutri-Score * Traffic light rating system *

Health Star Rating System The Health Star Rating System (HSR) is an Australian and New Zealand Government initiative that assigns health ratings to packaged foods and beverages. The purpose for the Health Star Rating is to provide a visual comparison of like for like prod ...

Veracity

* False advertising * Health claims

Food-handling materials

* Food safe symbol

Specific foods

* Olive oil regulation and adulteration *

Food grading Food grading involves the inspection, assessment and sorting of various foods regarding quality, freshness, legal conformity and market value.Saravacos, George D.; Maroulis, Zacharias B. (2011''Food Process Engineering Operations'' CRC Press. p ...

labels * Instructions for Use * Exp: Date

Vegan

* "Certified Vegan" by Vegan Awareness Foundation

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from othe ...

for vegan companies and organizations * "PETA-Approved Vegan" by PETA for vegan products (clothing and accessory companies),

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, available worldwide * "Sunflower symbol" by the Vegan Society,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

for vegan food, available worldwide * "V-Label" by the

European Vegetarian Union The European Vegetarian Union (EVU) is a non-profit, non-governmental umbrella organisation for vegetarian societies and groups in Europe. The union works in the areas of vegetarianism, nutrition, health, consumer protection, the campaign for ...

, Swiss

for vegan items (specified by product), available worldwide *"Biocyclic Vegan" by BNS Biocyclic Network Services Ltd., Cyprus, for vegan organic production (e.g. vegetable production without

manure Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the Soil fertility, fertility of soil by adding organic ma ...

)

Vegetarian

* "The green dot symbol" ( Vegetarian mark),

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n requirement for food, available worldwide * "V-Label" by the

, Swiss

for vegan and vegetarian items (specified by product), available worldwide * "Vegetarian Society Approved" by the

Vegetarian Society The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom is a British registered charity which was established on 30 September 1847 to promote vegetarianism. History In the 19th century a number of groups in Britain actively promoted and followed meat ...

, available worldwide

Farming practices

* Free range * Grass fed beef * Organic certification *

Sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem ser ...

** UTZ Certified

Religious certifications

Halal ''Halal'' (; ar, حلال, ) is an Arabic word that translates to "permissible" in English. In the Quran, the word ''halal'' is contrasted with '' haram'' (forbidden). This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification k ...

( Islamic dietary laws) * Kashrut ( Kosher foods in Jewish law)

Controversies

* Ag-gag

Named geographic origin

* Appellation * Geographical indication *

Country of origin Country of origin (CO) represents the country or countries of manufacture, production, design, or brand origin where an article or product comes from. For multinational brands, CO may include multiple countries within the value-creation process ...

Protected Geographical Status Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect nam ...

(European Union) *

Appellation d'origine contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bou ...

(

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

) *

Denominazione di Origine Controllata The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”), * ''Indicazione geografica tipi ...

(

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

)

Genetic and commercial origin

* Labeling of genetically modified food * Produce traceability * Standards of identity for food

Preparation at site of consumption

* Shake well

Pricing

Pay what you want Pay what you want (or PWYW, also referred to as value-for-value model) is a pricing strategy where buyers pay their desired amount for a given commodity. This amount can sometimes include zero. A minimum (floor) price may be set, and/or a suggest ...

(PWYW) * Pay what you can (PWYC) *

Dine and dash Dine and dash is the US phrase for a form of theft by fraud, in which a patron or patrons orders and consumes food and beverages from a restaurant or similar establishment with the intent not to pay. The act may involve the customer leaving the ...

* Maximum retail price (MRP)

Safety information

* Alcohol abuse * Danger zone (food safety) *

Five-second rule The five-second rule, sometimes known as the three-second rule,(7 February 2006Getting the dirt of the 5-second rule ''Southeast Missourian'' is a food hygiene myth that states a defined time window where it is safe to pick up food (or sometim ...

Food allergy A food allergy is an abnormal immune response to food. The symptoms of the allergic reaction may range from mild to severe. They may include itchiness, swelling of the tongue, vomiting, diarrhea, hives, trouble breathing, or low blood pressur ...

Food intolerance Food intolerance is a detrimental reaction, often delayed, to a food, beverage, food additive, or compound found in foods that produces symptoms in one or more body organs and systems, but generally refers to reactions other than food allergy. Fo ...

* Food safety * Food sampling *

Food spoilage Food spoilage is the process where a food product becomes unsuitable to ingest by the consumer. The cause of such a process is due to many outside factors as a side-effect of the type of product it is, as well as how the product is packaged and s ...

* International Food Safety Network *

ISO 22000 ISO 22000 is a Food safety management system which is outcome focused, providing requirements for any organization in the food industry with objective to help to improve overall performance in food safety. These standards are intended to ensure ...

* Refrigerate after opening *

Shelf life Shelf life is the length of time that a commodity may be stored without becoming unfit for use, consumption, or sale. In other words, it might refer to whether a commodity should no longer be on a pantry shelf (unfit for use), or no longer on a ...

dates ("Use by" and "Best before") * Warning label * Food Allergen Declarationbr>FALCPA

By region

FAO GM Foods Platform The FAO GM Foods Platform is a web platform where participating countries can share information on their assessments of the safety of genetically modified (recombinant-DNA) foods and feeds based on the Codex Alimentarius. It also allows for sharing ...

* Food Administration

Asia

India

* Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

Thailand

* Phuket: "Yellow flag" for vegetarian food during ‘ngan kin jeh’ vegetarian festival

North America

Canada

Food and Drugs Act The ''Food and Drugs Act'' (the ''Act'') (formal title ''An Act respecting food, drugs, cosmetics and therapeutic devices'') is an act of the Parliament of Canada regarding the production, import, export, transport across provinces and sale of f ...

Monsanto Canada Inc v Schmeiser ''Monsanto Canada Inc v Schmeiser'' 0041 S.C.R. 902, 2004 SCC 34 is a leading Supreme Court of Canada case on patent rights for biotechnology, between a Canadian canola farmer, Percy Schmeiser, and the agricultural biotechnology company Monsanto. ...

Mexico

* NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010

United States

* Acceptable Market Name * Adulteration of Coffee Act 1718 * American Agricultural Law Association * Dietary exposure assessments in the United States * Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 * Early history of food regulation in the United States * Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (US) *

FDA Food Safety Modernization Act The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 4, 2011. The FSMA has given the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new authority to regulate the way foods are grown, harvested and processed. The l ...

* Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act *

Federal Meat Inspection Act The Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 (FMIA) is an American law that makes it illegal to adulterate or misbrand meat and meat products being sold as food, and ensures that meat and meat products are slaughtered and processed under strictly r ...

Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 President of the United States George W. Bush signed the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 (FDAAA) on September 27, 2007. This law reviewed, expanded, and reaffirmed several existing pieces of legislation regulating the FDA. Thes ...

Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 The United States Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 (FDAMA) amended the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. This act is related to the regulation of food, drugs, devices, and biological products by the FDA. These changes ...

* Food libel laws *

Food Quality Protection Act The Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), or H.R.1627, was passed unanimously by Congress in 1996 and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 3, 1996. The FQPA standardized the way the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would man ...

* Generally recognized as safe * Global Food Security Act of 2009 * Kevin's Law * Mandatory country-of-origin labeling of food sold in the United States * Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act * Public Law 114-214, regulating GMO food labeling *

Pure Food and Drug Act The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, also known as Dr. Wiley's Law, was the first of a series of significant consumer protection laws which was enacted by Congress in the 20th century and led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administratio ...

* Regulation of food and dietary supplements by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration * Standards of identity for food * Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations * '' United States v. Correll'' * '' United States v. Ninety-Five Barrels Alleged Apple Cider Vinegar''

Europe

European Union

*Regulation (EC) No. 834/2007 of 28 June 2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products * Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 *Regulation 1151/2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs: defines "labelling" as "any words, particulars, trade marks,

brand name A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

, pictorial matter or symbol relating to a foodstuff and placed on any packaging, document, notice, label, ring or collar accompanying or referring to such foodstuff".EUR-Lex
Regulation 1151/2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs
article 3, accessed 27 June 2022

United Kingdom

* Assize of Bread and Ale * McLibel case * United Kingdom food labeling regulations * The Weights and Measures (Packaged Goods) Regulations 200

Oceania

* Food Standards Australia New Zealand

New Zealand

Food Act 1981 The Food Act 1981 was an Act of Parliament in New Zealand. It is administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries (New Zealand), Ministry for Primary Industries. The Food Act 2014 replaced the Food Act progressively over three years from wh ...

South America

Chile

* Food Labelling and Advertising Law

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Food labeling regulations Appellations Brand management Food law Food packaging Food labelling Product certification Product management Regulation Retailing-related lists Religious dietary certification organizations Religious consumer symbols