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1169/2011 Nutrition Declaration: EU nutrition label

1169/2011 Nutrition Declaration, the EU nutrition label under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers, 7 mandatory nutrients, per 100 g or 100 ml. Generate a compliant label free.

Reviewed against Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers · Page updated August 26, 2026

Jurisdiction
European Union (27 member states) + EEA (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein)
Regulation
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers
Effective
In force since December 13, 2014
Official source
eur-lex.europa.eu
Generate the EU labelEU 1169/2011 guide

Nutrition labelling requirements in the EU

Packaged food sold in the EU must carry a nutrition declaration under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers. This page covers the EU - 1169/2011 Nutrition Declaration format: Per-100g compact table, kJ + kcal, salt not sodium. A compliant EU nutrition label declares 7 mandatory nutrients: energy, fat, of which saturates, carbohydrate, of which sugars, protein and salt. Values are declared per 100 g or 100 ml, with energy in both kJ and kcal, and salt rather than sodium. The panel is headed "Nutrition Declaration". There is no mandatory front-of-pack warning scheme. NFL builds a print-ready EU nutrition label from your recipe, applying the rounding rules and reference intakes for the EU automatically, and exports it as PDF, PNG, SVG, JPG or EPS.

Official regulation

Citation
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers
Effective
In force since December 13, 2014
Scope
European Union (27 member states) + EEA (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein)
Source

Key facts

Energy declaration
Both kJ AND kcal mandatory
Salt vs sodium
Declared as "salt" (sodium × 2.5), not sodium
Column basis
Per-100g mandatory; per-serving optional
Allergens
14 major allergens bolded/emphasized in the ingredient list (Annex II)

Rounding + threshold rules (sample)

  • Energy: nearest 1 kJ / 1 kcal
  • Fat, carbs, sugars, protein: nearest 0.1 g under 10 g; nearest 1 g above
  • Salt: nearest 0.01 g under 1 g; nearest 0.1 g above

What Article 30 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 requires, and what may be added

Article 30(1) fixes the mandatory declaration as energy plus fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt. The list is closed; the Commission Q&A (3.3.5) says items such as omega-3 cannot be inserted. Article 30(2) permits six voluntary additions only: mono-unsaturates, polyunsaturates, polyols, starch, fibre, and any Annex XIII vitamin or mineral present in a significant amount (Annex XIII Part A: 15 % of the nutrient reference value per 100 g or 100 ml, or 7.5 % per 100 ml for beverages).

  • Salt is defined in Annex I, point 11, as salt equivalent: sodium x 2.5. Sodium from every ingredient counts (Q&A 3.2.4). Where no salt was added, Article 30(1) allows a statement that the salt is exclusively due to naturally occurring sodium.
  • Energy is calculated with the Annex XIV factors, for example 17 kJ/4 kcal per gram of carbohydrate or protein, 37 kJ/9 kcal for fat and 8 kJ/2 kcal for fibre.
  • Declared values are averages under Article 31(4), from the manufacturer's analysis, a calculation from known ingredient values, or generally established data, and relate to the food as sold, or as prepared where detailed instructions are given (Article 31(3)).

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Articles 30 and 31, Annexes I, XIII and XIV, Commission Notice 2018/C 196/01.

Per 100 g or 100 ml, per portion, and the Annex XIII reference intakes (Articles 32 and 33)

Article 32(2) makes per 100 g or per 100 ml the only mandatory basis, with energy in both kJ and kcal, kilojoules first (Q&A 3.2.1). A per-portion or per-consumption-unit column is voluntary under Article 33 on three conditions: the portion is easily recognisable, it is quantified on the label in close proximity to the declaration, and the number of portions or units in the pack is stated.

Article 32(4) makes percentages voluntary: energy and the mandatory nutrients may be shown as a percentage of the Annex XIII Part B adult reference intakes per 100 g or 100 ml, for example 8 400 kJ/2 000 kcal for energy, 20 g for saturates and 6 g for salt; Article 33(1)(c) allows the percentage per portion instead of, or as well as, per 100 g. When percentages are given per 100 g or 100 ml, Article 32(5) requires the exact statement Reference intake of an average adult (8 400 kJ/2 000 kcal) in close proximity; the Q&A (3.4.4) says it is not needed for per-portion percentages. The wording cannot be modified, and the older term Guideline Daily Amount or GDA is not permitted (Q&A 3.4.2, 3.4.3). No percentage may be shown for fibre because Annex XIII gives none (3.3.4).

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Articles 32 and 33, Annex XIII, Commission Notice 2018/C 196/01.

Presentation under Article 34 and Annex XV: order, table, font size and front-of-pack repeats

Article 34(1) puts all mandatory and voluntary particulars in the same field of vision, in the Annex XV order: energy, fat, of which saturates (then mono-unsaturates and polyunsaturates if declared), carbohydrate, of which sugars (then polyols and starch), fibre, protein, salt, then vitamins and minerals. Article 34(2) requires a table with the numbers aligned if space permits, and a linear format only where it does not. A negligible energy or nutrient figure may be replaced by a statement such as "Contains negligible amounts of ..." next to the declaration (Article 34(5)).

Article 13(2) requires every mandatory particular, the declaration included, to use a font with an x-height (as defined in Annex IV) of at least 1.2 mm, reduced by Article 13(3) to 0.9 mm where the largest surface of the pack is under 80 cm2. Article 15 requires a language easily understood by consumers in the Member State of sale.

Article 30(3) permits a front-of-pack repeat, in the principal field of vision at the Article 13(2) size, in only two forms: energy alone, or energy with fat, saturates, sugars and salt. Article 33(2) lets the repeat be per portion alone, but energy must then also appear per 100 g or 100 ml, in both kJ and kcal (Q&A 3.5.2). A US or Canadian panel cannot be printed alongside the EU declaration (Q&A 3.3.10).

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Articles 13, 15, 30(3), 33 and 34, Annexes IV and XV, Commission Notice 2018/C 196/01.

Tolerances and rounding: the Commission guidance document of December 2012

The Regulation contains no tolerance figures. They come from the Commission guidance document agreed with the Member States in December 2012, which has no formal legal status but is what national control authorities apply to laboratory results. The tolerances include measurement uncertainty, and apply over the entire shelf life. Illustrative values from Table 1, per 100 g:

NutrientDeclared levelTolerance
Fatunder 10 g / 10 to 40 g / over 40 g+/- 1.5 g / 20 % / 8 g
Saturatesunder 4 g / 4 g and above+/- 0.8 g / 20 %
Saltunder 1.25 g / 1.25 g and above+/- 0.375 g / 20 %
Vitaminsany+50 % / -35 %

The tolerance is applied to the bounds of the rounding interval, not the printed figure: the guidance's own example treats a declared 8.5 g of sugars as 8.45 to 8.54 g, giving an acceptable range of 6.5 to 11 g. Tighter one-sided tolerances in Table 3 apply where a nutrition or health claim is made; section 2.3 warns against declaring at the favourable edge of the range. Section 6 adds rounding guidelines: fat, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and fibre at or below 0.5 g may be declared as "0 g" or "<0.5 g", saturates at or below 0.1 g as "<0.1 g", salt at or below 0.0125 g as "<0.01 g", and vitamins and minerals use two or three significant figures. A result outside tolerance is assessed case by case under section 2.4.

Source: Commission guidance document on tolerances for nutrient values declared on a label, December 2012.

Annex V exemptions, alcohol, non-prepacked food and the 2014 to 2016 application dates

Article 16(3) exempts the 19 categories in Annex V, including unprocessed single-ingredient products, water, herbs and spices, salt, table-top sweeteners, coffee, tea, vinegar, additives, gelatine, yeast, chewing gum, packaging whose largest surface is under 25 cm2, and small-quantity food supplied directly by the maker to consumers or local retail. The Q&A (3.6.2) confirms that flour, rice and honey qualify; vegetable oil and sugar do not.

Beverages above 1.2 % alcohol by volume are exempt under Article 16(4), and a voluntary declaration on them may stop at energy (Article 30(4)). Non-prepacked food is governed by Article 44; a voluntary declaration may be limited to energy, or energy with fat, saturates, sugars and salt, per portion alone (Articles 30(5) and 33(3)). The exemptions fall away once a nutrition or health claim is made or vitamins and minerals are added, because Articles 49 and 50 amended Regulations (EC) No 1924/2006 and 1925/2006 to require the Article 30(1) declaration in those cases.

Article 55 applied the Regulation from 13 December 2014, with the mandatory declaration in Article 9(1)(l) applying from 13 December 2016. Article 54 required voluntary declarations between those dates to follow Articles 30 to 35 and let stocks labelled before each date sell through. Both dates have passed; no transition remains. Build an EU label in the generator.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Articles 16, 30, 44, 49, 50, 54 and 55, Annex V, Commission Notice 2018/C 196/01.

How NFL handles it

  • Applies the correct rounding rules for every nutrient
  • Uses the right Daily Value / Reference Intake table for this jurisdiction
  • Renders the required front-of-pack warnings automatically when thresholds are hit
  • Handles multilingual labels where required (bilingual EN/FR, EN/ES, Arabic + EN, etc.)
  • Exports print-ready vector PDF, PNG, SVG, JPG, and EPS

Worked examples with real foods

See the EU nutrition declaration filled in with real USDA values: egg nutrition label, chicken breast nutrition label, avocado nutrition label, bacon nutrition label, milk nutrition label, banana nutrition label, peanut butter nutrition label, ground beef nutrition label, salmon nutrition label, Greek yogurt nutrition label. Every food page renders the same serving as a US, Canadian, EU and UK label and offers the FDA panel as a PNG or SVG download. Browse all foods →

Common questions

Is a per-serving column allowed on an EU nutrition declaration under Regulation 1169/2011?
Yes, but only in addition to the per 100 g or per 100 ml column, which Article 32(2) makes mandatory. Article 33 requires the portion or consumption unit to be easily recognisable, quantified on the label in close proximity to the declaration, and the number of portions in the pack to be stated. The only case where per portion alone is allowed on a prepacked food is the voluntary front-of-pack repeat of energy, fat, saturates, sugars and salt, and even then energy must also be given per 100 g or 100 ml.
Do I have to show percentage reference intakes on an EU label?
No. Article 32(4) makes percentages of the Annex XIII reference intakes voluntary. If you show them per 100 g or 100 ml, Article 32(5) requires the unmodified statement 'Reference intake of an average adult (8 400 kJ/2 000 kcal)' in close proximity. The term Guideline Daily Amount or GDA may not be used, and percentages may only be based on the adult reference intakes in Annex XIII.
What is the minimum font size for the nutrition declaration in the EU?
Article 13(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 requires all mandatory particulars, including the nutrition declaration, to be printed in a font with an x-height of at least 1.2 mm, measured as defined in Annex IV. Where the largest surface of the package is smaller than 80 cm2, Article 13(3) lowers the minimum to 0.9 mm. Packages whose largest surface is under 25 cm2 are exempt from the nutrition declaration altogether under Annex V, point 18.
Why does the EU label say salt instead of sodium?
Article 30(1) lists salt, not sodium, as the mandatory nutrient. Annex I, point 11 defines it as salt equivalent, calculated as sodium multiplied by 2.5, and the Commission Q&A confirms that sodium from every ingredient, including additives such as sodium ascorbate, is counted. If no salt was added and the sodium is naturally present, a statement to that effect may appear next to the declaration.
How much can the analysed value differ from the declared value on an EU label?
The Regulation sets no figures; the Commission's December 2012 guidance document on tolerances does. For carbohydrate, sugars and protein it allows plus or minus 2 g below 10 g per 100 g (1.5 g for fat), 20 % between 10 and 40 g, and 8 g above 40 g; saturates get 0.8 g below 4 g and 20 % above; salt gets 0.375 g below 1.25 g and 20 % above. The tolerance is applied to the rounding interval of the printed figure and already includes measurement uncertainty. Tighter one-sided tolerances apply where a nutrition or health claim is made.
Which foods are exempt from the nutrition declaration under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011?
Annex V lists 19 categories, including unprocessed single-ingredient foods, water, herbs and spices, salt, table-top sweeteners, coffee, tea and infusions, vinegar, additives, gelatine, yeast, chewing gum, packages with a largest surface under 25 cm2 and small-quantity food supplied directly by the maker to consumers or local shops. Alcoholic beverages above 1.2 % ABV and non-prepacked food are also outside the mandatory rule. The exemption is lost as soon as a nutrition or health claim is made or vitamins or minerals are added.
Can I put a US Nutrition Facts panel next to the EU nutrition declaration for a product sold in both markets?
The Commission Q&A (point 3.3.10) says no. Both mandatory and voluntary nutrition information on a pack sold in the EU must follow the content, expression and presentation rules of Articles 30 to 35, and a US or Canadian format does not, partly because it uses different energy conversion factors. A separate label or pack for each market is the usual solution.
When did the EU nutrition declaration become mandatory?
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 applied from 13 December 2014, but Article 55 delayed the mandatory nutrition declaration in Article 9(1)(l) until 13 December 2016. Between those dates any voluntary declaration already had to follow Articles 30 to 35, and stocks labelled before each date could be sold until exhausted under Article 54. Both dates have passed, so the requirement is fully in force with no transition period.

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