It’s important to be clear and honest on your packaging and labelling, as if you’re misleading, it could mean you are committing a crime! The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 has replaced the Trade Descriptions Act and has made it an offence to give consumers information which could mislead on product packaging.
This guide gives you an overview of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations and the other main laws regulating the packaging and labelling of goods. It also details the special rules retailers must abide by – particularly those on retail food and drink.
Hopefully you don’t want to lie to your customers about anything, but the act specifically demands your packaging does not mislead customers about:
- Quantity or size
- Composition
- Method of manufacture
- Fitness for purpose
- Endorsements by people or organisations
And this law applies to you if you manufacture, package, or sell goods to the public.
Origin
There is no legal requirement for products to be marked with their origin, although obviously it is a strong marketing tactic, particularly for food, drink and fashion. If your product does have origin marking, it is imperative that it is completely accurate, as otherwise you as the manufacturer or retailer are committing an offence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.
Price
Under the new regulations, it is also a crime to provide a misleading price to customers about goods.
Packaging and labelling for export
If you are planning on exporting your goods, ensure the packaging and labelling complies with the laws and regulations of the country you are exporting to.
Translate labels into local languages where possible and ensure that you not only conform to the laws of the country, but also the conventions, such as printing a picture of the product on packaged food products.
Your packaging should be able to withstand the exporting process, as often this can be quite rough and a real test for the packaging of fragile or perishable items. Consider the additional packaging and labels you will need to transport the goods: pallets, shrink wrap etc.
The products you are exporting are likely to be moved using several modes of transport, so the packaging you use should be suitable for each type of transportation and strong enough to withstand repeated loading and unloading. Clearly labelled products are much more likely to reach their destination on time and avoid being lost in transit or delayed at customs.
There are two good reasons you should not mislead consumers with your packaging;
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