When does UK law require a nutrition declaration?

Generally for prepacked food sold beyond the premises where it was made - wholesale, stockists and most online sales - and for any product carrying a nutrition or health claim. Pre-packed for direct sale food sold where it was made needs allergen labelling but not a nutrition panel.

Is calculated nutritional analysis legally acceptable?

Yes. Calculating from ingredient composition data is permitted and is what most small producers use. It requires good composition data and honest accounting for cooking losses, particularly moisture. Laboratory analysis costs roughly £150 to £400 per product.

Which software gives easy nutritional analysis of homemade dishes?

For macronutrients and internal decisions, most recipe costing platforms including FoodCore. For a compliant back-of-pack panel with full micronutrient breakdown against an accredited database, you need a dedicated nutrition platform such as Nutritics, or laboratory testing.

Nutritional Analysis of Homemade Food (UK 2026)

Most small UK producers do not need a nutrition panel, and the ones who do often do not realise it. This covers when the law requires a declaration, the difference between calculated and laboratory analysis, and what each costs.

When you actually need a nutrition declaration

What you sell	Nutrition declaration?	Why
PPDS food — packed on site, sold there	Not required	Allergen labelling applies, nutrition does not
Loose food, made to order	Not required	No prepacked label at all
Prepacked food sold beyond your premises	Generally required	Wholesale, retail stockists, most online sales
Food with a nutrition or health claim	Required	Claiming “high in fibre” triggers it
Supplied to a caterer for their use	Exempt from the panel	Allergen info must still be provided

The practical line for most small producers is the shop door. Sell it where you made it and you are in PPDS territory — allergens yes, nutrition no. Sell it into a farm shop or ship it and a panel is generally required.

Calculated versus laboratory analysis

	Calculated	Laboratory
How	Sum nutrient data from ingredient composition	Chemical analysis of the finished product
Cost	Software subscription, or free databases plus effort	Roughly £150–400 per product
Accepted?	Yes — permitted under retained EU law	Yes
Best for	Stable recipes, many products	Complex processes, claims, export
Weakness	Does not capture cooking losses well	Snapshot of one batch; expensive to repeat

Calculated analysis is legitimate and is what most small producers use. It needs good ingredient composition data and honest accounting for cooking loss, particularly moisture.

What FoodCore does and does not do

FoodCore tracks macronutrients — calories, protein, carbohydrate, fat — per recipe and per serving, which covers internal decisions and menu information. It does not produce an accredited back-of-pack nutrition panel with full micronutrient breakdown against a certified database.

If you need that, use a dedicated nutrition platform such as Nutritics, or a laboratory. We would rather point you there than have you discover the limit after subscribing. The nutrition labelling software guide covers the options, and when labels need a nutrition table covers the legal trigger in more detail.

Frequently asked questions

Which software allows easy nutritional analysis of homemade dishes? For macros and internal use, most recipe costing platforms including FoodCore. For a compliant back-of-pack panel, a dedicated nutrition platform with an accredited food composition database.

Do I need a nutrition panel for a cake shed? No. Food packed and sold on the same premises is PPDS — allergen labelling applies, nutrition declaration does not.

Nutritional Analysis of Homemade Food

When you actually need a nutrition declaration

Calculated versus laboratory analysis

What FoodCore does and does not do

Frequently asked questions

Macros, costing, allergens and labels