Coffee labelling in the UK: what must be on the bag
A bag of plain roasted coffee needs fewer mandatory items than most foods, but the ones it needs are strictly defined. The list, the font sizes, the weight rules and the exemptions.
9 min read Updated 9 October 2026
Prepacked coffee sold in Great Britain must carry the mandatory food information set out in retained Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers, as applied by the Food Information Regulations 2014 in England and equivalent rules in Scotland and Wales. Quantity marking follows the Weights and Measures (Packaged Goods) Regulations 2006. Plain roasted coffee benefits from several exemptions.
Mandatory items for prepacked roasted coffee
| Item | For plain roasted coffee |
|---|---|
| Name of the food | Required, for example 'Roasted coffee beans' or 'Ground coffee'. A brand or coffee name alone is not enough. |
| Ingredients list | Not required where the food is a single ingredient and the name identifies it. Required for flavoured coffee and blends with other ingredients. |
| Allergens | Plain coffee contains none of the 14 regulated allergens. Flavoured coffee may: emphasise them in the ingredients list. |
| Net quantity | Required, by weight, in the same field of vision as the name of the food. |
| Date of minimum durability | A best before date. Its format follows the expected durability. |
| Storage conditions | Required if the product needs particular storage after opening, for example 'Once opened, store in an airtight container'. |
| Name and address | The business name and a UK address of the food business operator responsible (for the GB market). |
| Country of origin | Required where its omission could mislead. If you state an origin, it must be accurate. |
| Nutrition declaration | Not required for whole or milled coffee beans and whole or milled decaffeinated coffee beans, which are exempt. |
| Lot or batch mark | Required, unless the best before date shows at least the day and month. |
Legibility
Mandatory information must be easy to see, clearly legible and not hidden. The minimum x-height of the font is 1.2 mm, or 0.9 mm where the largest surface of the pack is less than 80 cm². Net quantity has its own minimum figure heights, which depend on the pack size: 4 mm for packs above 200 g up to 1 kg, for example.
Net quantity and the average system
Most coffee bags are packed under the average system. You may optionally add the ℮ mark next to the quantity if you follow it. The three packers' rules are:
- The actual contents of the packs must not be less, on average, than the nominal quantity.
- The proportion of packs short by more than the tolerable negative error (TNE) must be small enough to meet the reference test for a batch.
- No pack may be short by more than twice the TNE.
| Nominal quantity | TNE |
|---|---|
| 200 g to 300 g | 9 g |
| 300 g to 500 g | 3% of the nominal quantity |
| 500 g to 1 kg | 15 g |
| 1 kg to 10 kg | 1.5% of the nominal quantity |
Keep records of your checks: weigh a sample of packs from each run, record the results and keep your scales tested. Your local Trading Standards service enforces these rules and can advise.
Claims and descriptions
- Organic: only if your business is certified by an approved organic control body, with its code on the label.
- Decaffeinated: describe it accurately and be able to show how the coffee was decaffeinated, if asked.
- Single origin, farm and variety: must be true and traceable to your purchase records. See traceability.
- Health or nutrition claims: strictly regulated; avoid them unless authorised.
Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS)
If you pack coffee on your own premises and sell it there, for example in a roastery shop or cafe, it may be 'prepacked for direct sale'. The Food Standards Agency's PPDS rules require the name of the food and a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised. Single-ingredient foods are exempt from the ingredients list, so plain roasted coffee needs its name; flavoured coffee needs the full list with allergens emphasised. Check the FSA's PPDS guidance for your products.
Label check before printing
- Name of the food, not only a brand or coffee name
- Net weight in the same field of vision, at the right figure height
- Best before date, and a lot code unless the date shows day and month
- Business name and UK address
- Storage advice after opening
- Ingredients and emphasised allergens for anything flavoured
- Origin statements matching your purchase records
- Font x-height at least 1.2 mm for mandatory information
Where Roastnet helps
Questions roasters ask
- Does roasted coffee need a nutrition label?
- No. Whole or milled coffee beans, including decaffeinated, are exempt from the nutrition declaration. Flavoured or added-ingredient products may not be exempt.
- Does a coffee bag need a best before date?
- Yes, prepacked roasted coffee needs a date of minimum durability. Many roasters also show the roast date, which is voluntary.
- Do I need an ingredients list on a bag of coffee?
- Not for single-ingredient roasted coffee where the name identifies it. Flavoured coffees and products with other ingredients need one.
- What weight tolerance is allowed on a 250 g bag of coffee?
- Under the average system the tolerable negative error for 200 g to 300 g is 9 g, and the packs must still average at least 250 g across a batch.
Official sources
- Food Standards Agency: Packaging and labelling
- legislation.gov.uk: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers
- GOV.UK: Packaged goods: weights and measures
- Food Standards Agency: Allergen labelling for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food
Rules change. These sources were checked on 9 October 2026; always confirm the current position with the body that publishes them before you act.
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