Guide
How to label food colourings and additives
List additives by the rules that apply to ingredients lists — usually the category and name or E number as required. Additives are not a substitute topic for allergen emphasis; if an additive is itself an allergen source, emphasise that allergen.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
List additives by the rules that apply to ingredients lists — usually the category and name or E number as required. Additives are not a substitute topic for allergen emphasis; if an additive is itself an allergen source, emphasise that allergen.
Write the ingredients list from the recipe and supplier specs, in descending order of weight, then emphasise every Annex II allergen each time it appears.
How to apply it
List additives by the rules that apply to ingredients lists — usually the category and name or E number as required. Additives are not a substitute topic for allergen emphasis; if an additive is itself an allergen source, emphasise that allergen. Write the ingredients list from the recipe and supplier specs, in descending order of weight, then emphasise every Annex II allergen each time it appears. Walk the product in front of you against the checklist below before you print. The mistake to refuse is: Break out what the specification shows when allergens are present.
- Follow ingredients-list additive naming rules
- Do not hide allergens inside additive blends
- Check spice mixes and colour blends for allergens
- Keep the list readable
Worked example
Worked example for “How to label food colourings and additives”: take one real SKU you sell this week. Apply the first check — follow ingredients-list additive naming rules. Then contrast it with do not hide allergens inside additive blends. Write the name of the food and the full ingredients list from today’s recipe and supplier specs, emphasise every Annex II allergen each time it appears, and only then print. If the pack in your hand does not match that list, it is not ready for sale. (List additives by the rules that apply to ingredients lists — usually the category and name or E number as required.)
Checklist before you print
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Follow ingredients-list additive naming rules | For “How to label food colourings and additives”, “Follow ingredients-list additive naming rules” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Do not hide allergens inside additive blends | For “How to label food colourings and additives”, “Do not hide allergens inside additive blends” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Check spice mixes and colour blends for allergens | For “How to label food colourings and additives”, “Check spice mixes and colour blends for allergens” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Keep the list readable | For “How to label food colourings and additives”, “Keep the list readable” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
Writing “flavourings” when the flavour base contains milk or soya
Break out what the specification shows when allergens are present.
Go deeper
Next: Compound ingredients. Blends and mixes. Then paste your ingredients into the free generator and confirm allergens before you print.
Questions
Are E numbers allergens?
Do PPDS packs need full additive detail like supermarket cans?
Official sources
Everything on this page traces back to these. Where they and we disagree, they are right — tell us and we'll fix it.
- Introduction to allergen labelling for PPDS foodFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
- Labelling guidance for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food productsFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
- Food allergen labelling and information requirements technical guidanceFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
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