Prepacked food labelling: past, present and future

The historical development in the UK of the labelling of prepacked food is traced and the evolution of regulatory controls is described, as well as their nature. The impact of UK membership of the European Union on food labelling requirements is considered and likely future developments are included. The need to rethink approaches to food labelling so as to facilitate multilingual labels is highlighted. The desirability of reviewing food labelling regulatory practices in the light of a future scenario driven by information technology and distance shopping is emphasized.