The UK Food Information Regulations require most pre-packed foods to carry a nutrition declaration covering energy, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars, protein, and salt. For small producers, working out what to test, how to test it, and what format the results need to be in is often more confusing than the testing itself.
What the regulations actually require ¶
Under the UK Food Information to Consumers Regulation (UK FIC), the mandatory nutrition declaration must include energy in both kilojoules and kilocalories, fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein, and salt. The values must be expressed per 100g or per 100ml, and optionally per portion. Fibre is not mandatory but is expected by most retailers. The values can be derived from calculation using recognised food composition databases, or from laboratory analysis. For novel products, unusual matrices, or products where the composition is genuinely uncertain, laboratory analysis is the more defensible route.
When laboratory testing is the right choice ¶
Calculation from a database works well for simple recipes with well-characterised ingredients. It becomes unreliable when ingredients are processed in ways that change their composition (fermentation, reduction, drying), when the recipe includes novel or unusual components, or when a retailer or export buyer specifically requires analytical evidence. Seaweed-based products, fermented condiments, and high-protein snacks with novel protein sources are examples where database calculation regularly produces values that do not match the actual product.
What a nutritional panel from Kelp Lab Core includes ¶
Our standard nutritional panel covers energy (calculated from the analytical values), protein by Kjeldahl nitrogen, total fat by solvent extraction, saturated fat by GC-FAME, carbohydrate by difference, total sugars by HPLC, dietary fibre by enzymatic-gravimetric method, moisture, and salt (as sodium by ICP-OES multiplied by 2.5). Results are reported per 100g and formatted for direct use by a packaging designer or printer. Turnaround is five working days from sample receipt.
Preparing your sample for submission ¶
Send a representative sample of the finished product as it would be sold, not a raw ingredient or an intermediate stage. For products with variable moisture content (baked goods, fresh pasta, soft cheeses), send at least three units so we can homogenise them and get a representative composite. Include the product name, a brief description of the manufacturing process, and any specific analytes you need beyond the standard panel. If you are unsure what to send, email us first.
Getting the nutritional declaration right at the development stage saves a reformulation later. If you are preparing a new product for retail or export and want to discuss what testing you need, get in touch and we can put together an itemised quote.