What must a food label tell the consumer, and who protects consumer rights?
Food labelling requirements and the legislation and organisations that protect consumers - mandatory and nutrition labelling, allergen and date marking, claims, and the roles of Food Standards Scotland, Trading Standards, the Advertising Standards Authority and Citizens Advice.
An SQA Higher Health and Food Technology answer on food labelling and consumer protection, covering mandatory and nutrition labelling, allergen and date marking, claims, and the roles of Food Standards Scotland, Trading Standards, the ASA and Citizens Advice.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to know what a food label must show by law, why each item helps the consumer, and the organisations that protect consumers and their rights. Higher rewards linking each labelling rule to a clear consumer benefit.
What a label must show
Each item has a purpose: the ingredients list and allergen emphasis let people avoid foods unsuitable for allergies, intolerances or dietary, religious and ethical reasons; the date mark and storage instructions keep food safe; the net quantity and name prevent the consumer being misled and allow value comparison.
Allergen and date marking
The date mark has two forms with different meanings:
- "Use by" is a safety date - the food may be unsafe to eat after it, used on perishable foods such as meat, fish and dairy.
- "Best before" is a quality date - the food is safe after it but may have lost quality, used on longer-life foods such as tinned and dried goods.
Confusing the two leads either to food poisoning (ignoring "use by") or to unnecessary food waste (throwing out food past "best before"), both contemporary food issues.
Nutrition labelling and claims
The nutrition declaration gives energy (kJ and kcal) plus fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt per 100 g (and often per portion). Many products also use front-of-pack colour-coded "traffic light" labels (red, amber, green) so consumers can see at a glance whether a food is high, medium or low in fat, saturates, sugars and salt - helping them follow dietary advice and compare products.
Any claim is regulated and must be true and not misleading. Nutrition claims such as "low fat", "reduced sugar" or "high fibre" can only be used if the food meets a legal threshold, and health claims must be approved. This stops manufacturers misleading consumers.
Organisations that protect consumers
Together with consumer law (which gives the right to goods that are as described, of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose), these bodies give consumers protection and redress when food is unsafe, mislabelled or misadvertised.
Examples in context
Example 1. Natasha's Law. After a death from an undeclared allergen, the law was changed so that foods pre-packed for direct sale must carry a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised - a direct strengthening of allergen labelling to protect consumers.
Example 2. Traffic-light front-of-pack labels. Voluntary colour-coded labels were introduced so shoppers can judge fat, sugar and salt at a glance, linking labelling policy to the dietary goals of cutting these nutrients.
Try this
Q1. State the difference between a "use by" date and a "best before" date. [2 marks]
- Cue. "Use by" is a safety date (food may be unsafe after it); "best before" is a quality date (safe but may have lost quality).
Q2. Name one organisation that protects consumers and state what it does. [2 marks]
- Cue. FSS (food safety/standards); Trading Standards (enforces labelling law); ASA (misleading adverts); Citizens Advice (advice on rights).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher (specimen)6 marksDescribe the information that must by law appear on the label of a pre-packed food, and explain how this helps the consumer.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark describe-and-explain answer should list the mandatory items and link them to consumer benefit.
By law a pre-packed food label must show: the name of the food; a list of ingredients in descending order of weight; the allergens (emphasised, for example in bold) within that list; the quantity of certain ingredients (QUID); the net quantity (weight or volume); a date mark (use by or best before); storage and use instructions; the name and address of the manufacturer or seller; the country of origin where needed; and a nutrition declaration (energy plus fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt per 100 g).
How it helps the consumer: the ingredients list and allergen emphasis let people with allergies or dietary, religious or ethical restrictions avoid unsuitable foods; the date mark and storage instructions keep food safe; the nutrition declaration lets people compare products and make healthier choices in line with dietary advice; and the name and quantity prevent the consumer being misled and allow value comparison.
Markers reward a good range of correct mandatory items and a clear link to how each protects or informs the consumer.
SQA Higher (past paper style)4 marksA consumer buys a food that is mislabelled and makes a misleading advertising claim. Describe the role of two organisations that could help.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark describe answer should name two relevant bodies and what each does.
Trading Standards enforces consumer protection and food labelling law at local level. It investigates mislabelled, misdescribed or underweight food, can take action against businesses that break the law, and helps ensure labels are accurate and not misleading.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) regulates advertising. It deals with misleading, harmful or false advertising claims, can investigate complaints and order an advert to be changed or withdrawn, so a misleading food claim in an advert would fall to the ASA.
Other acceptable bodies: Food Standards Scotland (food safety and standards, and food information policy) and Citizens Advice (free advice to consumers on their rights and how to complain).
Markers reward two correctly named organisations each with an accurate description of its role relevant to the scenario.
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