Quantitative Ingredient Declaration (QUID)

Date marking / storage conditions

Quantity marking / Weight statements

On this page:

• Net quantity indication
• Prescribed quantities
• Average weight controls

Net quantity indication

Specific rules (Annex IX)

1. The net quantity declaration shall not be mandatory in the case of foods:

(a) which are subject to considerable losses in their volume or mass and which are sold by number or weighed in the presence of the purchaser;
(b) the net quantity of which is less than 5 g or 5 ml; however, this provision shall not apply to spices and herbs; or
(c) normally sold by number, provided that the number of items can clearly be seen and easily counted from the outside or, if not, is indicated on the labelling.

2. Where the indication of a certain type of quantity (such as the nominal quantity, minimum quantity, or average quantity) is required by EU-derived domestic legislation or retained direct EU legislation or, where there is none, another enactment, this quantity shall be regarded as the net quantity for the purposes of this Regulation.

3. Where a prepacked item consists of two or more individual prepacked items containing the same quantity of the same product, the net quantity shall be indicated by mentioning the net quantity contained in each individual package and the total number of such packages. The indication of those particulars shall not, however, be mandatory where the total number of individual packages can be clearly seen and easily counted from the outside and where at least one indication of the net quantity contained in each individual package can be clearly seen from the outside.

4. Where a prepacked item consists of two or more individual packages which are not regarded as units of sale, the net quantity shall be given by indicating the total net quantity and the total number of individual packages.

5. Where a solid food is presented in a liquid medium, the drained net weight of the food shall also be indicated. Where the food has been glazed, the declared net weight of the food shall be exclusive of the glaze. For the purposes of this point, ‘liquid medium’ shall mean the following products, possibly in mixtures and also where frozen or quick-frozen, provided that the liquid is merely an adjunct to the essential elements of that preparation and is thus not a decisive factor for the purchase:

• water, aqueous solutions of salts, brine, aqueous solutions of food acids, vinegar, aqueous solutions of sugars, aqueous solutions of other sweetening substances, fruit or vegetable juices in the case of fruit or vegetables.

Prescribed quantities

Note: This section is not based on Regulation 1169/2011 but Directive 2007/45

When legislation requires packs to be made up in a restricted range of weights or volumes, these are known as 'prescribed quantities'. The legislation on prescribed quantities changed from 11th April 2009 when most foods were removed from the requirements. For pre-packed foods, requirements now only apply to certain wines and spirits. Details of the specified quantities are available, see Specified Quantities - Wines and Spirits

Average weight controls

Note: This section is not based on Regulation 1169/2011but Directive 76/211.

Full details of the average weight controls are contained in the Weights and Measures Act 1985 and the following secondary legal document:

• Weights and Measures (Packaged Goods) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/659) [Please check for amendments]

Additional guidance on these Regulations has been published by the Office for Product Safety & Standards. See:

• Weights and Measures (Packaged Goods) Regulations 2006 - Guidance (Version published May 2023)

With regard to labelling, products packed according the average weight system may use the 'e' mark when the nominal quantity is in the range 5g - 10kg (or 5ml - 10l). The mark shall be at least 3mm high, placed in the same field of vision as the weight/volume statement, and indelible, clearly legible and visible under normal conditions of presentation. The mark is not obligatory but, when used in accordance with the Regulations, is a guarantee that the goods to which it is applied have been packed in accordance with the Regulations.

Date marking / storage conditions