General Information


Misleading Descriptions        

The Food Standards Agency provides the following advice to catering establishments:

  • Care should be taken to ensure that the wording of any origin labelling on menus etc meets legal requirements.
  • The information which is made available about food and drink, through whatever medium, shall not mislead consumers.
  • For many consumers, terms like “Produce of…”, “Product of…”, “Origin…”, “British”, “Scottish/Scotch” and “Welsh” etc. imply that the place of processing and the origin of ingredients are the same, but this is not always accurate.


The FSA suggest that, where no legal requirements currently exist, such national terms only be used where the ingredients that characterise the product come from the identified country, and all of the main production / manufacturing processes associated with the food occur within that country.


Research carried out on behalf of the Food Standards Agency highlights that consumers want more information on the origin of meat and meat ingredients in meat products, and dairy products in particular.  


The Food Standards Agency provides advice on Country of Origin Labelling. See their website for details


For use of terms such as Homemade, Fresh, Pure, Natural etc.
See here for details, or request from

The Food Standards Agency Scotland     
6th Floor, St Magnus House, 
25 Guild Street,
Aberdeen AB11 6NJ 
Tel: 01224 285100
                  
E-mail: scotland@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk


For terms such as Organic, Organically reared etc

To describe food as being organic in a catering establishment, it must be produced according to European laws on organic production and come from growers, processors and importers who are registered and approved by organic certification bodies.

Organic food labelling, packaging or delivery notes should indicate the organic certification body that the processor or packer is registered with. As a minimum, this must include a code number that denotes the approved certification body. The name or trademark (logo) of the certification body may also, but does not have to, be shown.

Examples of organic bodies operating in Scotland that provide guidance and certification of organic labelling; The Scottish Organic Producers Association, The Soil Association