Food label language requirements in Malta

Malta accepts any ONE of Maltese, English or Italian on a food label -- an English pack is compliant without translation.

Three permitted languages, any one of them

Malta's rule sits in the Food Safety Act (Cap. 449), through L.N. 483 of 2004 reg. 18, headed 'Permitted languages'. At least ONE of Maltese, English or Italian must carry the mandatory particulars.

That is a genuinely permissive rule: it does not require Maltese, and it does not require a combination. One of the three suffices.

Others may be added

Reg. 18.7 allows further languages to be added beyond the permitted one. So a multilingual pack built for several EU markets is fine in Malta provided one of the three permitted languages is among them.

For most exporters that means an existing English pack needs no language work for Malta at all.

What else Reg. 1169/2011 makes mandatory

Language is one requirement among many, and the language rule applies to ALL of them. Reg. (EU) 1169/2011 Art. 9(1) sets the mandatory particulars: the food name, the ingredient list, allergens, QUID where it applies, net quantity, the date, storage and use conditions, the responsible operator, origin where required, instructions for use, alcoholic strength above 1.2% vol, and the nutrition declaration. Every one of them has to appear in whichever of the three permitted languages you choose.

Choosing English does not reduce the list — the permitted language has to carry every particular below, not the important-looking ones.

Art. 13(2)-(3) sets how small they may be: an x-height of at least 1.2 mm, or 0.9 mm where the largest surface of the pack is under 80 cm². X-height is the height of a lower-case x — not the nominal point size, which is the mistake that puts a label under the floor while the artwork file says otherwise.

Allergens, QUID and the nutrition table

Art. 21(1)(b) and Annex II require every one of the 14 allergen groups to be emphasised INSIDE the ingredient list by a distinguishing typeset — a different font, style or background. The 14 include the gluten cereals, sulphites above 10 mg/kg, lupin and molluscs. An ingredient list set entirely in capitals emphasises nothing, because nothing distinguishes the allergen from the rest.

Art. 22(1) requires the QUID percentage whenever an ingredient appears in the food's name, is emphasised in words or pictures, or characterises the food.

Arts 30(1), 32(2) and 34(1)-(2) with Annex XV require the full nutrition declaration — energy plus fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt — per 100 g or 100 ml, in the Annex XV order, tabular where space permits and linear where it does not.

Dates, the operator and net quantity

Art. 24 and Annex X set the date form, and the two are not interchangeable. “Best before” (with the day shown) or “Best before end” (month and year) is quality dating; “Use by” is safety dating, and after that date the food is deemed unsafe. Using one where the other belongs carries different legal consequences.

Art. 8(1) and Art. 9(1)(h) require the responsible operator's NAME AND ADDRESS — the operator under whose name the food is marketed, or the importer where that operator is not established in the market. A website, an e-mail address or a phone number is not an address.

Art. 23 and Annex IX set net quantity: volume in l, cl or ml, mass in kg or g, with drained weight where the food is glazed or packed in liquid. The ℮ mark is optional — an average-system guarantee — and where it is used it must be at least 3 mm and in the same field of vision.

Building a Maltese pack

Because English is permitted outright, Malta is usually satisfied by a pack already built for another English-language market.

LabelYog builds the declaration in whichever of the permitted languages you choose, and will carry additional languages alongside it.

At a glance

• At least one of Maltese, English or Italian present
• That language carries ALL mandatory particulars, not some
• Additional languages may be added under reg. 18.7
• All Reg. 1169/2011 mandatory particulars present
• No obligation to provide Maltese specifically
• All Art. 9(1) particulars present, x-height >= 1.2 mm (0.9 mm under 80 cm2)
• Annex II allergens emphasised INSIDE the ingredient list
• Operator NAME AND POSTAL ADDRESS -- not a website or e-mail

Questions

You can try the free tools without an account, read what a paid plan adds on pricing, or see how we compare with other label software before deciding anything. Every market we build for has a rule-book page of its own.