Foreign language labelled soft drinks
Soft drink labelling in the UK is governed by
the Food Labelling Regulations 1996 and is intended for the
protection of consumers. The information on a food or drink label
provides the consumer with essential information such as the name
of the product, its ingredients, best before/use by date and
directions for use.
The law states that where labelling is
required it should be in a language “easily understood by the
purchaser”, which in the UK will be English. Retailers or
wholesalers may not supply food or drink without labelling in
English on the container.
If a product is labelled in a language the
consumer does not understand, it undermines the purpose of the
label and the protection it is supposed to provide. For
example, wrongly or incomprehensibly labelled products could have
serious implications for diabetics or people with allergies to
particular ingredients.
Retailers have a responsibility under the law
to ensure products sold do not contravene the relevant legislation
related to food labelling. A retailer that fails to comply with
this legislation could face a fine of up to £5,000.
Consumers who find foreign labelled products
being sold should refer the matter to the local Trading Standards
Office, who has the authority to request that such products be
removed from sale. It would also be helpful to notify BSDA, as this
will help us to monitor the scale of the problem.
For more information about foreign labelled
products, BSDA has produced leaflets for retailers and Trading
Standards Officers, which are available to download on this website
(see Publications List).