Chocolate packaging in the United Kingdom and its main elements

Chocolate packaging in the United Kingdom and its main elements. Chocolate packaging in the UK, as well as its own branch of the industry, has recently undergone significant changes. This is a result of the country’s departure from the European Union. In itself, the well-known Brexit has allowed the British chocolate market to become a more competitive environment. Brands and entrepreneurs must reinvent their bets to survive in an increasingly demanding market. The United Kingdom itself is the ninth country with the highest rate of export of cocoa products. This allows it to rise with an annual profit of just over 4,500 million euros.

The fertility of this market section is one of the main working segments of the BluCactus agency. In itself, chocolate is the second most exported product of the country in the area of ​​food. Second only to whiskey. Thus, our label design services are here for your product to send competitively to the consumer. Not only from the point of view of creativity associated with the packaging of chocolate. But also, from the legal point of view required in government matters. Its basic and essential aspects are down below.

How do you make chocolate labels? How do you read a chocolate label?

The basic patterns that define the interpretation and reading of chocolate labels and packaging have a very well-defined legal code. This regulation corresponds to the “Cocoa and Chocolate Products Regulations 2003” in the UK. The legislation has as its main regulation to structure all the informative codes that allow the consumer to guarantee the optimal state of his product. This regulation is complemented by the Food Labeling Regulations of 1996, where other basic areas of food labelling are configured.

The scope of application of the regulations corresponds to the sector of sales and dispatch companies. As well as to the field of manufacturers in general. At least a minimum of three informative criteria are in said regulations. And they are mandatory for their representation in the packaging of chocolate. These parameters correspond to the reserved description, the product’s list of ingredients, and the added substances declaration. The following are the main notes related to the indication and interpretation of such regulations. 

Descriptions reserved for the labelling and packaging of chocolate in the United Kingdom.

Under the term “reserved descriptions”, the English regulations on labelling products based on cocoa establish specific conditions. They obey the title, declaration or general description of the product’s composition. At the legal level, fourteen reserved descriptions are established for the labelling and packaging of chocolate. They correspond to the following conceptualizations.

Cocoa butter:

Cocoa powder and cocoa:

Reduced-Fat Cocoa and Reduced Fat Cocoa Powder:

Chocolate powder:

Drinking chocolate:

This also includes sugared cocoa products and sugared cocoa powder.

 Drinking chocolate:

This includes its reduced-fat variants, sweetened reduced-fat cocoa and sweetened reduced-fat cocoa powder.

Chocolate:

This includes chocolate with noodles, flakes, topping, gianduja and gianduja derivatives.

Milk chocolate:

This category also considers milk chocolate complemented with noodles, flakes, coverage, gianduja, and derivatives. Equally valid for this category is chocolate with cream or skimmed milk.

Family Milk Chocolate:

This declarative variant includes only the familiar and standard versions of milk chocolate.

White chocolate:

Filled chocolate:

This reserved description refers to chocolate with filling and chocolate with a centre.

Hot chocolate:

Family hot chocolate:

Chocolate and praline:

Other fundamental additional indications when using the descriptions reserved for the packaging of chocolate in the United Kingdom.

Each of the fifteen previous descriptions is under very delimited use criteria. Specifically, using descriptions reserved in the packaging sector for chocolates is allowed under only three conditions. The first of these is that the content matches the proper title of the description in general. On the other hand, you can only use a description when a specific ingredient stands out from the product’s composition. And defines it at a general level. Finally, the product must be described consistently. Without leading to confusion or misinterpretation between two or more descriptions.

Despite these parameters of legality, non-compliance with the regulations for the packaging of chocolate happens frequently. Thus, regarding the scope of infractions, the regulations establish a set of sanction procedures. The latter depends on the type of company and the scope or context in which the violation of the rules has occurred. The regulations include a higher level of flexibility regarding imported products.

What are the characteristics of a good label? What is chocolate legally?

In addition to the reserved descriptions, the packaging of chocolate in the United Kingdom contains specifications on using an extensive tree of ingredients. The latter refers to any type of fat in addition to cocoa butter. In this area, vegetable fats stand out for their importance and recurrence. The use and presence of the same must be declared on the label using the expression “contains vegetable fats in addition to cocoa butter”. This phrase should appear printed right in the same view as the list of ingredients. Its typographic size should not be less than that used by the same category.

Chocolate packaging for other categories also contains specific conditions. The latter referring to the range of milk chocolate. Here, the presence of the milk component must be declared through the declaration of ‘milk solids…%. With an acceptable range between 14 and 22% concentration. Other elements, such as cocoa, use the expression ‘cocoa solids…% minimum’ according to their percentage. Other types of chocolate must also be declared in more detail about assorted chocolates. Here, the expressions “assorted chocolates” or “assorted filled chocolates” should be in the general description.

Regulations on the use of vegetable fats and their representation on the labels for chocolate products.

Despite the existence of a total of fourteen chocolate ranges in the UK, only five of them are allowed to add vegetable fats. They correspond to supplemented chocolate, milk chocolate, family chocolate, white chocolate and family chocolate in a cup. As a common factor for each of these categories, the chocolate packaging standards require a maximum level for the concentration of vegetable fats. In itself, any type of added vegetable fat must not exceed 5% of the mass of the product itself. The proportion calculation must appear in favour of the product’s total weight. For its adjustment according to the regulations, altering the levels of cocoa butter or cocoa solids in the product is not allowed.

On the other hand, chocolate packaging regulates the type and species of vegetable fat in the product. In total, the British chocolate industry has permission to use only five types of vegetable fat in the production of chocolate. They are the illipe, palm oil, kokun gurgui, mango bone and coconut oil. The latter has a higher level of application in manufacturing chocolate for ice cream and other presentations of sweets and cold foods.  

How can I create a professional product label?

In today´s context, Great Britain and the rest of the country have quite a few alternatives regarding marketing agencies and digital corporations. Every one of them focused on offering you chocolate label and packaging design services in general. Among all of them, the BluCactus marketing agency stands out for its level of professionalism and experience. With more than a decade of work assisting prestigious clients from all over the European continent. It goes hand in hand with its outstanding presence in the American, Asian and African continents.

We have coverage for all major UK cities, including London, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Our chocolate packaging specialists will build clever graphic proposals for you. If you want to know more about our offers, we invite you to contact us today. We have face-to-face and distance attention if required. Likewise, you will receive more information about the news and advances in the matter by subscribing to our daily bulletin. Likewise, we invite you to follow us on all our social media profiles. So! What are you waiting for? In the UK, the chocolate and packaging market is evolving! Don’t stay behind!