Guide
How to label food with sulphites
When sulphur dioxide or sulphites are present above the threshold as ingredients (or from ingredients like dried fruit or wine vinegar), they must be emphasised in the ingredients list — often as sulphur dioxide or sulphites.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
When sulphur dioxide or sulphites are present above the threshold as ingredients (or from ingredients like dried fruit or wine vinegar), they must be emphasised in the ingredients list — often as sulphur dioxide or sulphites.
Emphasise Annex II allergens inside the ingredients list — bold, capitals, colour or underline — as set out in FSA allergen labelling guidance.
How to apply it
When sulphur dioxide or sulphites are present above the threshold as ingredients (or from ingredients like dried fruit or wine vinegar), they must be emphasised in the ingredients list — often as sulphur dioxide or sulphites. Emphasise Annex II allergens inside the ingredients list — bold, capitals, colour or underline — as set out in FSA allergen labelling guidance. Walk the product in front of you against the checklist below before you print. The mistake to refuse is: Many are treated with sulphur dioxide — read the pack.
- Check dried fruit, wine vinegar and some sausages
- Emphasise sulphites / sulphur dioxide as required
- Do not hide them inside compound ingredients
- Read the numeric threshold guidance in official materials
Worked example
Worked example for “How to label food with sulphites”: take one real SKU you sell this week. Apply the first check — check dried fruit, wine vinegar and some sausages. Then contrast it with emphasise sulphites / sulphur dioxide as required. 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. (When sulphur dioxide or sulphites are present above the threshold as ingredients (or from ingredients like dried fruit or wine vinegar), they must be emphasised in the ingredients list — often as sulphur dioxide or sulphites.)
Checklist before you print
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Check dried fruit, wine vinegar and some sausages | For “How to label food with sulphites”, “Check dried fruit, wine vinegar and some sausages” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Emphasise sulphites / sulphur dioxide as required | For “How to label food with sulphites”, “Emphasise sulphites / sulphur dioxide as required” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Do not hide them inside compound ingredients | For “How to label food with sulphites”, “Do not hide them inside compound ingredients” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
| Read the numeric threshold guidance in official materials | For “How to label food with sulphites”, “Read the numeric threshold guidance in official materials” is the check that stops the pack drifting from what you actually sell. |
Assuming “natural dried apricots” are sulphite-free
Many are treated with sulphur dioxide — read the pack.
Go deeper
Next: Sulphur dioxide / sulphites. The 14th allergen category. Then paste your ingredients into the free generator and confirm allergens before you print.
Questions
Do I always declare sulphites at any level?
Is metabisulphite the same issue?
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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