Labelling requirements - preserves for farmers market
I have an ex-colleague who has asked me a question. They are wondering what are the labelling requirements are for preserves such as jams, marmalades, relishes etc for sale at farmers markets etc. i.e, direct sale to the consumer? We are in the UK.
They make various types of preserves such as orange marmalade with ginger, ginger jam, rhubarb, apple & ginger jam, and different types of relish, such as onion relish.
They are asking about labelling requirements. Do the FIC regs apply in cases like these? Do they need to label the fruit and sugar content, QUID and also asking if there is a minimum sugar content that applies?
If anyone could help, I'd be very grateful. Thank you for reading. :-)
Maybe contact the municipality in which the farmers' market will be held. There may be regulations based on where this is, your friend's sales volume, size of packaging, ingredients, etc. Additionally, there may be boards and associations that support use of their item (fruits, vegetables, produce in a particular region, etc.) that might be able to offer guidance. Finally, he/she may wish to reach out to another seller at the farmers' market to see if someone can help guide him/her in the right direction.
Thanks for the reply, KRG. I'm finding it quite tricky to get a definitive answer. I have checked the regs and can't find anything conclusive. I have also emailed FSA but had no reply. :-( Does anyone else happen to know?
In terms of the compositional characteristics, I think you want to have a read of the Jam and Similar Products (England) Regulations, or equivalents for Wales/Scotland.
For the general labelling question, note that your friend is in the "pre-packed" category, rather than "pre-packed for direct sale" - the latter refers specifically where food is prepared on the premises for direct sale to the consumer (e.g. sandwich shops), and I'm guessing they aren't making the jam on their market stall?
I'm not aware of any exemption based on the size of the business / method of sale (other than those relating to pre-packed for direct sale, that don't apply in this case) that would preclude the need to label in accordance with Regulation (EU) 1169/2011, so yes it does look like they may need to have the usual legal name, ingredients list, nutritional info etc.
Nonetheless it's not an area of the industry in which I have any great expertise!
I did find this guide from Food Standards Scotland (which should theoretically be broadly applicable across the UK) specifically for farmers markets, that seems to support the labelling requirement: https://www.foodstan...lling_Guide.pdf
As for getting advice, I would go direct to whoever will be the direct regulator - this will almost always be the Trading Standards department with jurisdiction in the town/region where your former colleague's business is located. They're usually very helpful, and tend to appreciate people taking the initiative to seek advice in advance, rather than finding out about something when it's referred to them by a consumer or similar ;)
Hi Poppysnoss
If your colleague is selling the products as a business then - Yes the Food Information for Consumers regulation applies.
It applies regardless of the size of the business.
They will need to need to meet the mandatory requirements for labelling
If they also sell on line then they will need to meet the 'distance selling' requirements.
The jams and spreads regulations with regard to sugar levels will apply
QUID is applied to jams and spreads in a different way to other products
but QUID would apply to the chutneys and relishes if appropriate based on the product description.
There are exemptions for some parts of the mandatory information based on the pack size, but unless they are selling individual portions that will not help very much
with regard to nutritional labelling they could claim an exemption based on being a hand craft, small enterprise, selling to local outlets and consumers.
that would mean they would not need to put the nutritional table on the back, unless they make any claims, in which case nutritional info is then mandatory
rgds