Purpose
Food labels carry legal, safety, and traceability information. This guide shows how to build compliant food labels in Label Studio Creator: mandatory particulars, allergen emphasis, lot and date coding, nutrition presentation, and GS1 barcodes / QR traceability — driven by variable data for many products.
It is layout guidance, not legal advice: always confirm the exact rules for your market (EU FIC 1169/2011, national rules, etc.).
1. Mandatory particulars
Most food markets require a consistent set of particulars. Build a template block for each so nothing is forgotten:
- Legal product name (not just a brand name).
- Ingredient list in descending order by weight.
- Allergen emphasis within the ingredients.
- Net quantity; storage / use conditions.
- Business name and address; country of origin where required.
- Date of minimum durability (best before) or use-by; lot code.
- Nutrition declaration; instructions for use where relevant.
2. Allergen emphasis
| Requirement | How to handle it |
|---|---|
| Emphasis in ingredients | Set allergen words in bold (or caps/underline per market) within the ingredient text object. |
| Consistency | Keep an approved allergen list; emphasize the same terms every time via the template. |
| Variable products | Drive the ingredient/allergen text from data so each SKU shows its own set correctly. |
| Legibility | Respect minimum x-height rules; don't shrink allergen text below the legal minimum. |
3. Lot & date coding
Lot and date give you traceability and are usually mandatory. Make them variable, not typed by hand:
- Bind
${lot}and${best_before}to the data source. - Use a fixed date format for the market (e.g.
YYYY-MM-DDorDD/MM/YYYY). - Encode lot/date in a GS1-128 (AI 10 = lot, AI 15 = best before) when scanning is needed.
- Keep them in a clear, non-decorative area of the label.
4. Nutrition declaration
Use a table object
Lay out energy, fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein, salt per 100 g/ml (and per portion if used).
Keep alignment tidy
Right-align values; a monospaced or tabular figure style keeps columns straight.
Drive values by data
Bind each figure to a field so a product range shares one layout with per-SKU numbers.
Mind legibility
Respect minimum font sizes; don't compress the table below readable limits.
5. Barcodes & QR traceability
Retail food needs a scannable GTIN; traceability and consumer info increasingly use QR.
- EAN-13 / UPC for retail POS; validate check digit and quiet zone.
- GS1-128 or GS1 DataMatrix to carry GTIN + lot + date together.
- QR to a product/traceability page or digital label info.
- Always scan a printed sample on the real material and finish.
6. Preflight & common pitfalls
| Symptom | Likely cause & fix |
|---|---|
| Missing allergen emphasis | Emphasis lost in variable text. Verify bold terms per SKU before release. |
| Wrong date format | Locale mismatch. Fix the field format to the target market. |
| Illegible small text | Font below legal minimum. Increase size / simplify layout. |
| Barcode won't scan | Quiet zone or contrast on the material. Enlarge and retest on real stock. |
| Lot/date not traceable | Only printed as text. Add GS1-128/DataMatrix with AI 10/15. |