Food Labeling for Caterers: What EU Law Actually Requires

Food Labeling for Caterers: What EU Law Actually Requires

Food labeling law has two very different regimes depending on whether your food is pre-packaged or not. Many caterers either over-complicate this (labeling food they don't need to) or under-comply (skipping allergen requirements they absolutely must meet).

This guide explains exactly what the law requires for caterers in the Netherlands and EU.

The Core Distinction: Pre-Packaged vs. Non-Pre-Packaged

Pre-packaged food = food packed in packaging before it's offered for sale, in such a way that the contents cannot be altered without opening or changing the packaging.

Examples: meal prep boxes delivered to customers, sandwiches wrapped and sold in a display case, soup cups sealed and sold at a market, frozen meals sold online.

Non-pre-packaged food = food prepared and served to order. Examples: catering buffet food served at an event, food prepared fresh in front of the customer, restaurant meals.

If Your Food IS Pre-Packaged: Full Compliance Required

If you're delivering pre-packaged catering meals, you need the full EU 1169/2011 label including:

1. Product name
2. Ingredient list (with allergens highlighted)
3. Net quantity
4. Best Before or Use By date (DD/MM/YYYY)
5. Storage conditions (e.g., "Keep refrigerated")
6. Your business name and address
7. Full nutrition table (energy in kJ AND kcal, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugars, protein, salt — all per 100g)

If Your Food is NOT Pre-Packaged: Allergen Information Only

For event catering, restaurant service, and on-site preparation, the full nutrition table is not legally required on a label. However: You MUST have allergen information available.

Under EU Regulation 1169/2011 Article 44, non-pre-packaged food businesses must provide allergen information for all dishes, available before/at point of purchase. Can be on a menu, allergen card, chalkboard, or verbal communication.

Practical Scenarios for Caterers

• Corporate lunch delivery (meal prep boxes) → Pre-packaged → Full label required
• Event catering buffet → Non-pre-packaged → Allergen information must be available (allergen card or sheet)
• Packaged sandwiches at market stall → Pre-packaged → Full label required
• Online meal prep subscription → Pre-packaged → Full label on every meal box

What Happens if You Don't Comply?

In the Netherlands, NVWA enforcement for catering businesses typically follows this path:

1. Routine inspection — spot checks are common
2. Written warning — first offense, minor violations
3. Fine — from €525 per violation
4. Product recall — for undeclared allergens that pose health risk
5. Business closure — extreme/repeated cases

Catering Label Workflow: The Lean Approach

Old workflow: Calculate nutrients in Excel (30-60 min per dish) → Design in Word/Canva → Print → Manually update when recipe changes.

New workflow with NutriLabel.io: Type dish name → AI predicts ingredients (30 sec) → Adjust if needed → Download print-ready PNG (10 sec) → Recipe changed? Edit and re-download (1 min).

For 20 weekly dishes: old way = ~15 hours/week. New way = ~45 minutes.

Generate your first catering label free at NutriLabel.io →