Why packaging errors still slip through...

(and the checks that catch them)

A pack can be perfectly designed, printed and yet still end up back in the warehouse. The cause is rarely dramatic – it could simply be a missing word, a barcode that won’t scan, or a previous claim that stopped being true.

The pack itself is where the brand earns shoppers’ trust. In a Food Standards Agency survey, 86% of UK respondents said they are confident that the information on food labels is accurate (GOV.UK, 2026); for people living with severe allergies, this confidence is even more crucial. For shoppers, the pack is the brand’s promise on the line. It’s where they check the ingredients, allergens and claims before they make a purchase. So, an error on the label can damage trust and brand reputation and even lead to legal issues.

Allergen errors are a big problem, with the FSA issuing 101 allergy alerts in 2024 (LabelService,2026) and allergen-related labelling errors accounting for 23% of all food recalls that year. A peer-reviewed study also found that of 2,470 recalls and alerts worldwide, the majority were linked to labelling and packaging errors, from undeclared allergens to wrong or missing information and illegible print (Soon and Abdul Wahab, 2021; Trokic, 2026).

So why do mistakes still get through, when all brands have a sign-off process?

The four major errors

Typos and copy changes

Copy gets edited late by several people across several versions. This usually occurs when a ‘small tweak’ gets added after the last proofread and no-one double checks the entire document.

Allergen and ingredient mistakes

Under the FSA rules, any of the 14 main allergens in a prepacked product must appear on the label and be emphasised in the ingredients list (Food Standards Agency, 2017). For any multipacks, the ingredient on the individual packaging needs to match the outer packaging, which can be easily missed when each are artworked separately. Additionally, Natasha’s Law also states food prepacked for direct sales now needs a full ingredients list with allergens.

Recipe changes are another common trigger, where a new ingredient can introduce a different allergen, but the label and packaging remains the same.

Brands selling in more than one market face an extra risk. Informa IT argues that language versions are often reviewed separately, so allergens can be right on one version and wrong or missing in another.

Barcodes that look fine but simply don’t work

A barcode can look fine on screen but can still fail in production. GS1 UK makes it clear that barcodes can only be verified on a real product or label, as materials, content and the printing process all affect the results. A printout from an office printer won’t be good enough to tell you whether the barcode is fully working.

This means that barcodes need to be handled by people who know what to check at each stage, from artwork through to print. When barcodes are managed carefully by an experienced packaging artwork team, they work first time. It's when they're treated as an afterthought that things go wrong.

Outdated claims and missing symbols

Claims such as “new recipe”, “now with…” or “may contain” can age quickly. As well as this, precautionary allergen labelling is also under closer scrutiny, with the FSA accepting it only where there’s a clear, documented cross-contact risk. Recycling marks, legal text and certification logos are easily dropped when artwork is rebuilt from an older file.

The checks that catch them

The fix is a structured process rather than more eyes on the pack:

• Check in stages. Separate rounds for copy, regulatory content, barcodes and print-readiness mean each reviewer knows what they're responsible for.
• Proof against source data. Check ingredients, allergens and claims against the approved brief, not against the previous artwork.
• Compare every version against the approved master and against each other.
• Recheck in full after any change, including related packs in the range.
• Verify barcodes in two stages. Review the artwork before print, then verify a printed sample. As part of our quality assurance process, this is a service we offer as standard. 
• Record who checked what, so any error can be traced and fixed.
• Use a combination of AI and human QC to check against robust briefs and detailed product information sources.

Sign-off pressure

If you’re responsible for getting packaging out of the door, you know what’s riding on that final approval. Deadlines are tight, changes arrive late, and feedback comes from several teams at once. When it’s hard to be sure which one is final, or whether every amend has been picked up on, signing off can feel overwhelming and very stressful.

That pressure usually comes from having to check everything yourself, at the last minute, with no certainty that nothing was missed. You shouldn’t have to carry that responsibility alone. A good process takes the checking off your shoulders, so that by the time a pack reaches you, the hard work has already been done.

How WK360 help ease the pressure?

At WK360, we consider our work to be more than just producing artwork. We don't treat quality as a final inspection. Accuracy is built in from the start, so you can approve with confidence rather than caution.

And here’s what that looks like:

• You focus on the brief. We work through the compliance checks. Before any artwork is started, we work through the rules and restrictions that apply to your product and your brand, drawing on our experience across pharmaceuticals, health and beauty, food and drink and other regulated sectors.
• You don't have to be the proofreader. QC is standard, not an extra. Everything from colour to copy is checked several times as part of the process by experienced artworkers and dedicated QC professionals, who are used to complex requirements.
• You never have to wonder which file is final. Our workflow platform, 360Orbit, brings together built-in version control, QA and digital asset management. Everyone from your regulatory lead to your print supplier works from the same approved files, with amends tracked, so there's no duplication, no mix-ups and no panic-proofreading at the last minute.
• When the brief changes, we absorb it. Priorities shift and scopes evolve. Our QA-driven processes flex with you while keeping every update compliant, on brand and technically correct, including language variants and large multi-market rollouts.
• You see it when it's ready. Nothing lands with you until it's launch-ready, so you can approve with confidence.
  
  
  

Every pack carries your brand's promise, and the right checks mean you can approve it with confidence. Talk to the team at WK360 about taking the pressure off your next launch.