Food Safety & Nutrition Guidelines

Food Safety & Nutrition Guidelines

1. Food Labelling Regulations

In the UK, food labelling is governed by the Food Information Regulations 2014, which require manufacturers to provide clear, accurate, and easily readable information on packaging. Key requirements include:

• Legal name of the food — must not be misleading (e.g. “raspberry flavour” vs. “raspberry yoghurt”).
• Full ingredients list — listed in descending order by weight, with allergens emphasised in bold, italics, or a different colour.
• Net quantity — weight or volume of the product.
• Best before or use by date — required on most pre-packaged foods (see Section 7 for the difference).
• Name and address of the responsible food business operator — must be a UK or EU address for accountability.
• Country of origin or place of provenance — required where omission would mislead consumers.
• Nutrition declaration — energy (kJ/kcal), fat, saturates, carbohydrates, sugars, protein, and salt per 100g or 100ml.
• Storage conditions and/or cooking instructions — where necessary for safe use.

Traffic-light front-of-pack labelling is voluntary but widely used by major UK supermarkets. Green (low), amber (medium), and red (high) indicators help consumers make quick, informed choices. For detailed guidance, visit the Food Standards Agency at food.gov.uk/business-guidance/packaging-and-labelling.

2. Allergen Information Guide

The UK recognises 14 major allergens that must be declared on food labels and in hospitality settings. These are:

1. Celery (including celeriac)
2. Cereals containing gluten (wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt, kamut)
3. Crustaceans (prawns, crab, lobster)
4. Eggs
5. Fish
6. Lupin (common in Mediterranean flour products)
7. Milk
8. Molluscs (mussels, oysters, squid)
9. Mustard
10. Tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia)
11. Peanuts (also known as groundnuts)
12. Sesame seeds
13. Soya
14. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (at concentrations above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/L)

For consumers eating out: Restaurants, cafés, and takeaways are legally required to provide allergen information for everything they serve — either in writing on the menu, via a notice explaining how to request it, or verbally from staff. If you have a food allergy or intolerance, always inform staff before ordering. The FSA provides free allergen awareness training at food.gov.uk/allergen-training.

Natasha’s Law (2021): Following the tragic death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, all food pre-packaged for direct sale in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland must carry a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised on the packaging. This applies to sandwiches, salads, and other items made on-site and wrapped before selection.

3. Food Hygiene Ratings (FHRS)

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) applies in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Scotland uses a similar Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS). Ratings range from 0 (urgent improvement necessary) to 5 (very good), based on three criteria assessed during local authority inspections:

• Food handling — preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling, storage.
• Cleanliness and condition of facilities — building layout, ventilation, handwashing facilities, pest control.
• Management of food safety — documented safety procedures, staff training, record-keeping.

You can check any food establishment’s rating for free at ratings.food.gov.uk. Businesses in England are not legally required to display their rating (though they are in Wales and Northern Ireland), but a low rating is a red flag worth researching before you eat or buy.

At home: The 4 Cs of kitchen safety are Cleaning, Cooking, Chilling, and Cross-contamination avoidance. Wash hands thoroughly before handling food, cook meat to safe core temperatures (75°C for poultry), keep your fridge at or below 5°C, and use separate chopping boards for raw meat and ready-to-eat foods.

4. School Nutritional Standards

The School Food Standards (mandatory across all maintained schools and academies in England) require that school meals provide:

• One or more portions of vegetables or salad each day.
• One or more portions of fruit each day.
• Starchy foods such as bread, pasta, rice, or potatoes daily.
• Dairy — a portion of milk, yoghurt, or cheese daily.
• Meat, fish, eggs, beans, or non-dairy protein daily.
• Oily fish at least once every three weeks.
• No more than two portions of deep-fried, battered, or breaded foods per week.
• No drinks with added sugar, crisps, chocolate, or confectionery on the premises during the school day.
• Free fresh drinking water available at all times.

For packed lunches, the NHS Change4Life programme provides practical swap ideas — e.g. swapping chocolate spread for lower-fat cream cheese or replacing sugary drinks with water or semi-skimmed milk. Visit nhs.uk/healthier-families for family-friendly recipes and tips.

5. Healthy Start Voucher Scheme

Healthy Start is a UK government scheme providing eligible pregnant women and families with children under 4 a prepaid card to buy healthy food and milk. As of 2024:

• You receive £4.25 per week for each week of pregnancy from the 10th week.
• You receive £8.50 per week for each child from birth to their 1st birthday.
• You receive £4.25 per week for each child aged 1 to 4.
• Funds can be used on plain cow’s milk, infant formula, fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables, and pulses.
• You also receive free Healthy Start vitamins (vitamins A, C, and D for children; folic acid and vitamins C and D for pregnant/nursing women).

Eligibility is based on receiving certain benefits (Universal Credit, Income Support, Child Tax Credit, etc.) with a household income threshold. Apply online at healthystart.nhs.uk — the application takes about 10 minutes.

6. Food Safety at Home

Food poisoning affects an estimated 2.4 million people in the UK each year. Most cases are preventable with good kitchen hygiene:

• Fridge temperature: Keep at or below 5°C. Use a fridge thermometer — the dial number is not a temperature setting.
• Freezer temperature: -18°C or below. Food can be safely frozen right up to the “use by” date.
• Defrosting: Defrost in the fridge overnight, never at room temperature. If you defrost in a microwave, cook immediately afterwards.
• Leftovers: Cool within 2 hours, refrigerate, and consume within 2 days. Reheat only once, to piping hot (at least 75°C).
• Rice safety: Cooked rice should be cooled within 1 hour, refrigerated, and eaten within 24 hours. Bacillus cereus spores survive cooking and multiply at room temperature.
• BBQ safety: Pre-cook chicken in the oven before finishing on the BBQ. Charred exteriors with pink interiors are dangerous — use a meat thermometer.
• Handwashing: 20 seconds with soap and warm water before handling food, after touching raw meat, after using the toilet, and after touching pets or bins.

7. Best Before vs. Use By Dates

One of the most common sources of confusion — and food waste — is the difference between date labels:

• Use By: About safety. Found on highly perishable foods like fresh meat, fish, dairy, and prepared salads. Do not eat, cook, or freeze food past its use-by date — even if it looks and smells fine. Harmful bacteria like Listeria monocytogenes can grow to dangerous levels without any visible sign.
• Best Before: About quality. Found on frozen, tinned, dried, and shelf-stable foods. The food is safe to eat after this date but may begin to lose flavour, texture, or colour. Use your senses — look, smell, taste a small amount — before discarding.
• Display Until / Sell By: For stock rotation in shops only. Ignore these — they carry no safety or quality meaning for consumers.

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimates that UK households throw away 4.5 million tonnes of edible food each year — much of it due to date-label misunderstanding. Using your judgment on best-before items can save money and reduce waste significantly.

8. Plant-Based & Vegan Nutrition

Plant-based diets are increasingly popular for health, environmental, and ethical reasons. A well-planned plant-based diet can support all life stages, but certain nutrients need attention:

• Vitamin B12: Found naturally only in animal products. Vegans should take a B12 supplement (at least 10 μg daily, or 2000 μg weekly) or consume fortified foods (plant milks, nutritional yeast, breakfast cereals). B12 deficiency can cause irreversible nerve damage.
• Iron: Plant (non-haem) iron from lentils, chickpeas, tofu, spinach, and pumpkin seeds is less absorbable than animal iron. Pair iron-rich foods with vitamin C (lemon juice, peppers, tomatoes) to boost absorption, and avoid drinking tea or coffee with meals as tannins inhibit uptake.
• Calcium: Fortified plant milks, calcium-set tofu, kale, pak choi, fortified bread, and dried figs. Aim for 700mg daily for adults (NHS recommendation).
• Omega-3: Ground flaxseed, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and walnuts provide ALA, which the body partially converts to EPA and DHA. An algae-based omega-3 supplement provides DHA directly.
• Iodine: Seaweed (kelp should be limited — it can provide excessive iodine), iodised salt, and some plant milks. The UK has no universal salt iodisation, so this is worth monitoring.
• Protein: Soy, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas, seitan, and mycoprotein (Quorn) are excellent sources. The “protein combining” theory is outdated — eating a variety of plant proteins across the day meets all amino acid needs.

For personalised advice, the British Dietetic Association offers a plant-based diet fact sheet at bda.uk.com.

---

📞 Contact the Food Standards Agency: Helpline 0330 332 7149 | Email: helpline@food.gov.uk | Web: food.gov.uk

GOTOSHARP Information Hub resource article. Last updated: June 2026.