Compliant labels and validated shelf-life

A food label isn't marketing: it's a legal document that must accurately list product name, ingredients (descending weight order), allergens emphasised (bold, capitals or underlined), QUID for emphasised ingredients, net weight, best-before or use-by date, batch, plant address, nutrition values per 100 g/ml, origin (for some categories).

Shelf-life is the time during which the product retains safety and quality features if stored as indicated. Must be lab-validated, not eyeballed.

• EU Reg. 1169/2011 (FIC) — cornerstone for labels.
• EC Reg. 1924/2006 nutrition and health claims.
• EU Reg. 775/2018 primary ingredient origin.
• D.Lgs. 231/2017 sets Italian penalties: €1,000-9,500 for serious omissions, up to €24,000 for misleading practices.
• Organic: EU Reg. 2018/848; PDO/PGI: EU Reg. 1151/2012.

Sales suspension and batch recall = economic damage far higher than the fine.

Required by anyone selling pre-packaged or labelled bulk food: food industries, artisan labs (fresh pasta, cured meats, cheeses, preserves, pastry, ice-cream), bakeries, microbreweries, wineries, food trucks, food e-commerce.

When: before launching a new product, when an ingredient or supplier changes, on retail customer request, before export.

Shelf-life validation is required by most IFS/BRC audits and for EU/UK/Switzerland export.

Labels: we deliver vector mockup (Adobe Illustrator/PDF) ready to print, with all mandatory fields properly laid out (min 1.2 mm heights) and in the regulation order. Legal review of existing labels on request.

Shelf-life: experimental plan with microbiological sampling (TVC, Listeria, Salmonella, E. coli, moulds, yeasts) at T0, T+50%, T+100%, T+125% of hypothesised shelf-life. Analyses by ACCREDIA-accredited labs. Final report with degradation curve and recommended shelf-life.

Nutrition values calculation: certified software starting from recipe and CREA-INRAN tables, within EU tolerance margins.