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About NIS

Why Choose Us

Who are Nutritional Information Solutions and what can we do for you?

Credible Heritage

Nutritional Information Solutions are a commercial division of the Quadram Institute Bioscience who have worked with food producers across the world for over 40 years. Through our Food Databanks division we have also maintained the food composition datasets for the Government. This database is the database legally endorsed for use in calculating accurate nutritional information. We also have access via EuroFIR (a European organisation started by Paul Finglas who heads up Nutritional Information Solutions) to a further 28 databases across the world.

In addition we have access to our own proprietary manufacturers ingredients database. You can therefore be sure if we don’t have your ingredient nutrition data we know where to find it and you will receive accurate nutrition information to meet compliant food labelling requirements.

Inexpensive solutions

Typically, laboratory analysis can cost hundreds of pounds and the accuracy of the information is often not more accurate than calculation software. Our we do it for you service charge per recipe calculation starts from £50 + VAT, less than 1/5 of the cost of laboratory analysis. We can calculate the vast majority of recipes although we do not recommend calculation software for fried food. We support you through the process, explain your results and provide helpful advice on food label layout and even vitamin and nutrition information in most cases. We can provide you with traffic light labels as well as back of pack.

Alternatively, try our self calculation service from only £16 per month. We have designed this system in consultation with Nutritics.com. They operate nutrition labelling software in over 120 countries.

Food Labelling Regulations

What are the legal regulations when making a label

The new EU Food Information Regulations (EU 1169/2011), which include nutritional information became effective from 13th December 2014 and become mandatory from 13th December 2016 and replace the previous food labelling regulations.

The nutrients that must be included on all nutritional information are: energy, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, total sugars, protein and salt.

The Regulations say that general average nutritional values for ingredients can be used to calculate nutritional information for products. DEFRA (the Government Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs) guidance states that data from McCance and Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods can be employed for this purpose.

New technical guidance on nutritional labelling by the Department of Health

The Department of Health has provided Trading Standards and Environmental Officers with further definitions of those eligible for exemption of nutritional labelling.

Download guidance [PDF]

Detailed guidance on the new regulations by FoodDrinkEurope

FoodDrinkEurope have produced a detailed guidance document to help understand the requirements of the new regulations.

Download guidance [PDF]

Food information regulations 2013 – guide to compliance

This DEFRA document sets out a full guide to complying with nutrition data labelling requirements but also includes useful information on the other mandatory requirements for a food producer such as QUID and Allergens.

Download guidance [PDF]

Summary of the EU FIC provisions governing expression of nutrition information per 100g/ml and per portion/consumption unit

This report provides a useful summary on the mandatory and voluntary requirements of the new food labelling requirements, including the requirements for alcoholic drinks.

Download guidance [PDF]

Summary of the EUFIC Provisions for nutrition information from DEFRA

This link to DEFRA provides useful information on other areas of food labelling and food packaging that food producers must comply with.

Download guidance [GOV]

Food and Drink labelling report from the Food and Drink Federation

traffic-lights

This is a very easy to read well illustrated guide to both front of pack and back of pack food labelling regulations. It also explains the changes to reference intakes (RI) from the previous term guideline daily amount (GDI).

Download guidance [PDF]

What is Nutritional Label Information?

What you need to know when making Nutritional food labels

The Department of Health, the Food Standards Agency, and devolved administrations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales in collaboration with the British Retail Consortium have produced a handy guide to creating a front of pack (FoP) nutrition label for pre-packed products sold  through retail outlets.

The guidance supports the development of front of pack nutrition labels that are compliant with the UK Health Ministers’ Recommendation on the use of colour coding as an additional form of expression and with EU Regulation No. 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (EU FIC).

DOWNLOAD GUIDANCE

T: 01603 255350

E: nis@quadram.ac.uk