Product Labelling & Artwork Control Procedure

Verify label content against current product information

Before artwork is approved, Technical / Quality Management verifies the information needed for safe handling, display, storage, preparation and use, and confirms that the label meets the legal requirements for the designated country of use.

Ingredient labelling is checked against the current product specification, recipe and applicable raw-material specifications. Allergen labelling is verified against current ingredient specifications. Where either check identifies a mismatch, the label cannot be confirmed as acceptable until the affected content has been corrected.

These controls make the approved product and ingredient information the reference point for label acceptability rather than allowing artwork approval to proceed independently of the underlying specification data.

Release artwork only after review and sign-off

Artwork used for product labels and pre-printed packaging is subject to technical review and final management authorisation before production use. Technical / Quality Management completes final sign-off before approved artwork is issued as the authorised version for use.

The procedure therefore distinguishes the accuracy of label content from the separate act of authorising the artwork that carries it. Only signed-off artwork is permitted for production use, while control of artwork versions and amendments is governed through the Document Control Procedure.

Keep labels aligned when products or requirements change

Changes to product composition, raw materials, suppliers, country of origin, claims or regulatory requirements must be identified and communicated for labelling review before implementation. Updated inputs are supplied through the relevant functions, including the NPD Manager for recipe or formulation changes and Purchasing when a new supplier is introduced for an existing raw material.

Technical / Quality Management then compares the existing approved label with the updated product, raw-material, supplier, origin and regulatory information. The review verifies that mandatory and declared label particulars remain accurate, complete and consistent with the current approved product specification and applicable legal requirements.

Where suitability is confirmed, the existing approved label can continue to be used. Where a discrepancy, omission or misalignment is found, the label is not confirmed as suitable for continued use until the issue has been corrected, with revision and re-approval required before further use where necessary.

If a labelling or artwork change affects product specifications, identification, legal information or packaging attributes, the procedure also requires the associated raw-material and packaging specifications and acceptance criteria to be reviewed and updated through the Supplier & Raw Material Approval and Performance Monitoring Procedure.

Control information supplied for externally created labels

Where a customer or nominated second or third party creates the label, the procedure defines the site’s responsibility for the product information supplied. The NPD Manager coordinates product inputs and Technical / Quality Management provides verified source information from the site.

The information provided must be accurate, timely and sufficient for correct label preparation, with product-related inputs reflecting the current approved product specification. When a relevant change occurs, verified and updated product information is provided so the external label can be brought into line with the current site position.

Externally managed label content is confirmed as accurate against current approved site information before continued use. Inaccurate or outdated content must be updated and re-approved before further use.

Validate cooking instructions where safety depends on them

Where cooking instructions are relied upon to achieve product safety, Technical / Quality Management validates those instructions before they are accepted for product labelling and before the related label is approved.

Validation must demonstrate that the stated method of preparation achieves the intended safety outcome. The procedure requires confirmation that following the validated instruction set consistently produces a safe, ready-to-eat product, and only instructions meeting that outcome are used on the approved label.

Define responsibility and response when labelling is incorrect

Technical / Quality Management owns the labelling and artwork approval system, verifies content, determines label acceptability, completes artwork sign-off, reviews changes and validates safety-critical cooking instructions. The NPD Manager coordinates current product information and external-label inputs, while employees involved in labelling or artwork control are required to use approved artwork and report identified errors, discrepancies or concerns.

Where product has already been produced or released with incorrect labelling, assessment and control of the affected product are handled under the Non-Conforming Product Control Procedure. Where incorrect external labelling may result in product risk, escalation is handled through the Incident Management, Product Withdrawal & Recall Procedure. The current procedure defines these interfaces without replacing the controls contained in those related documents.

Maintain evidence of approval, review and validation

The procedure provides for records covering approved artwork, label verification and approval, ingredient and allergen checks, labelling reviews following change, information supplied for externally created labels, cooking-instruction validation and assessments arising from labelling errors.

Together with the linked document-control, record, non-conforming product, incident and training procedures, this gives the wider FSQMS a traceable basis for showing how label information was checked, how artwork was authorised and how relevant changes or failures were managed.