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| Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, The University of Reading
Food Labelling in the UK - A supporting material page |
Many foods now carry percentage declarations as required by the QUID rules. The following is an example based on a cereal packet containing Mixed cereal flakes with mixed dried fruits.
The provision of a QUID percentage is required if an ingredient is 'emphasised on the labelling in words, pictures or graphics'. This image shows some text from the front of the pack and part of the illustration. Both of these provide emphasis on the fruit content:
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This is the descriptive name and the ingredients list from the back panel. It can be seen that all the fruits have been given their % due to the emphasis on the front of the pack. Note though that the cereal flakes have not be given a %. This is likely to be due to the Regulation having an exemption for certain ingredients which appear in the name of the food. If an ingredient appears in the name of the food, a QUID % is not required where 'the variation in quantity is not essential to characterise the food or does not distinguish it from similar foods'.
It is also worth remembering that there is an exemption for ingredients which are used in 'small quantities for the purposes of flavouring purposes'.