| Whether you're a manufacturer or a retailer, if you | | | | • How it was manufactured |
| operate within the UK then it is important you pay | | | | • The place and date of manufacture |
| close attention to what information you put on your | | | | • Its fitness for the stated purpose |
| product's labels and packaging. If you don't you run the | | | | • Any endorsements by people or organization |
| risk of breaching industry regulations and consumer | | | | It's worth noting that many of these pieces of |
| protection laws that won't just damage your reputation | | | | information may not actually be required for your |
| - they could easily lead to both legal action and even | | | | product labels - but if you do have them there, they |
| prosecution. In the UK, failure to comply with product | | | | must be accurate. Similarly it is an offence to give |
| labeling and packaging law can amount to a criminal | | | | consumers a misleading price indication about goods |
| offence. | | | | and services; so if your product labels have a price |
| For all businesses in the UK, packaging and labeling falls | | | | printed directly on them, retailers will be unable to sell |
| under the jurisdiction of the Consumer Protection from | | | | them for more than that price without damaging the |
| Unfair Trading Regulations. At the heart of these | | | | labels. It is less of an issue if they sell items below the |
| measures is the insistence that any information that | | | | advertised cost, as this is of benefit to the consumer. |
| you put on a product must be accurate - it is a criminal | | | | Depending on the product, different pieces of |
| offence to mislead consumers through either text or | | | | information are required by law. For example all |
| illustrations on product labels and packaging. | | | | tobacco products must contain health warnings on |
| Among other things, this means that you must be | | | | their labeling, though this is not the only type of product |
| accurate about: | | | | that needs specific information under law. To see a full |
| • The quantity and size of your product | | | | list, it's advisable to visit the Trading Standards website |
| • The composition of your product (what is it made | | | | and check whether or not your product comes into |
| from) | | | | industry rules. |