5 Nutrition Label Mistakes That Cost Food Brands Money

The Hidden Cost of Label Errors

A nutrition label looks simple: a table of numbers, a list of ingredients, a few dates. But get it wrong, and the consequences are anything but simple. A single labelling error can trigger a product recall costing tens of thousands of euros. A retailer discovering non-compliance can delist your product without warning. And in allergen cases, the stakes are human lives.

The painful part? Most of these mistakes are preventable. After reviewing hundreds of food product labels, we've identified the five errors that consistently cost food brands the most — in money, time, and credibility.

Mistake #1: Energy Declared in kcal Only (Missing kJ)

This is the single most common error we see on labels from small and mid-size food businesses. Under EU 1169/2011, energy must be declared in both kilojoules (kJ) AND kilocalories (kcal). Not one or the other. Both.

The correct format: 1234 kJ / 295 kcal

Labels with kcal only are technically non-compliant and will fail any retailer audit. The conversion is simple (1 kcal = 4.184 kJ), but if you're using a label template that only prompts for one, you'll miss it every time.

Fix it: NutriLabel automatically calculates and outputs both kJ and kcal in the correct EU format — no manual conversion required.

Mistake #2: Declaring Sodium Instead of Salt

Older labelling standards and US-style labels declare sodium. EU 1169/2011 requires salt. These are not the same number.

Salt = Sodium × 2.5

So if your product contains 0.4g of sodium per 100g, your label must show 1.0g of salt — not 0.4g. Declaring the sodium figure as "salt" understates the salt content by 60%, which is both a compliance failure and potentially misleading to consumers managing sodium intake for health reasons.

Fix it: Always check whether your data source reports sodium or salt, and apply the conversion if needed. EU-compliant labelling tools like NutriLabel handle this automatically.

Mistake #3: Allergens Not Typographically Emphasised

Under EU law, allergens must be emphasised in the ingredient list — not just present. Simply including "milk powder" in your ingredient list isn't compliant if "milk" isn't typographically distinct from the surrounding text.

The emphasis can be bold, italic, underlined, or a different colour — but it must be clearly different from the non-allergen ingredients.

Fix it: Use a label tool that automatically identifies and emphasises allergens as you build your ingredient list. Manual formatting in Word or PDF software is error-prone and inconsistent.

Mistake #4: Wrong "Per" Reference — or Only Per Serving

EU 1169/2011 requires the nutrition declaration to be expressed per 100g or per 100ml. Per-serving values are optional and can be added alongside the per-100g/ml figures — but they cannot replace them.

We frequently see labels, especially from founders who've been influenced by US-style labelling, that show only per-serving figures. This is non-compliant in the EU.

Fix it: Always include per 100g/ml as your primary column. If you add per-serving, document your serving size rationale.

Mistake #5: Missing QUID Declarations

QUID stands for Quantitative Ingredient Declaration. The rule: if you name or visually feature a specific ingredient in your product name or imagery, you must declare its percentage by weight in the ingredient list.

Examples where QUID is mandatory:

• "Chicken & Mushroom Pie" — must declare % chicken and % mushroom
• "Strawberry Yoghurt" with strawberries pictured on pack — must declare % strawberry
• "Extra Virgin Olive Oil Dressing" — must declare % olive oil

Fix it: Cross-reference your product name and pack imagery against your ingredient list before finalising. If you name or picture it prominently, declare the percentage.

Create Compliant Labels Without the Headache

Every one of these mistakes is avoidable with the right tools. NutriLabel's EU-compliant label generator is built to catch these errors automatically — correct energy units, salt (not sodium), automatic allergen emphasis, per-100g/ml as standard, and QUID prompts where relevant.

Create your first label free at NutriLabel.io →