Egg Labels
Egg boxes need egg labels to carry a surprising amount of mandatory information. Farming method, quality grade, weight class, best before dates, packer codes, and storage instructions all need to appear clearly on every box. Get it wrong and you risk enforcement action from Trading Standards or the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). Egg labels from Positive ID Labels help producers, packers, and farm shops meet these obligations whilst presenting their eggs professionally. As part of our food and beverage labels range, we understand the specific demands of egg producers across the UK.
We manufacture egg box labels at our Derby factory with fast turnaround times, typically delivering within 3-5 working days. Whether you need full-colour branded labels for retail egg boxes, plain compliance labels for wholesale, or temporary regulatory labels like the bird flu housing notices we produced for the industry in 2017, we have the capability and experience to help.
What Must Appear on Egg Box Labels?
UK egg labelling regulations are detailed and strictly enforced. Our comprehensive egg labelling regulations guide covers the full scope of requirements, but here is a summary of what your egg box labels must include for prepacked Class A eggs sold at retail.
- Farming method – free range, barn, organic, or cage code (matching the producer code stamped on each egg). Misrepresenting farming method is a serious offence with significant penalties.
- Quality and weight grading – Class A quality grade plus weight category (very large, large, medium, or small) or the term “mixed sizes” where applicable.
- Packer identification – the registered packer number issued by APHA, identifying the packing centre responsible for grading and packing the eggs.
- Best before date – a maximum of 28 days from laying. This is a legal requirement and eggs must be delivered to the consumer within 21 days of laying under the date labelling regulations.
- Number of eggs – the quantity must be clearly stated on the outer packaging.
- Storage advice – a recommendation to keep eggs refrigerated after purchase, which is a legal requirement on all retail egg packaging.
- Country of origin – where the eggs were laid. Our country of origin labelling guide explains the broader requirements for food products.
For eggs sold as prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) at farm shops or farmers’ markets, Natasha’s Law also requires a full ingredients list with allergen information emphasised if the eggs are part of a prepared food product. Understanding the full scope of UK food labelling requirements helps ensure your egg products are fully compliant.
We’ve had a great experience working with this supplier, especially with Natalie - she is always very responsive, professional, and friendly. The pricing is highly competitive and the sales service has been excellent from start to finish. If I could offer one suggestion, it would be to improve the account and invoice management process. It would be really helpful if there were a system for clients to easily track their past orders and invoices in one place. Overall, very pleased with the service and look forward to continuing our collaboration.
Absolutely brilliant service from start to finish. The team are brilliant and the product was excellent quality and exactly what I wanted. Natalie is amazing as are her colleagues. Will definitely be a returning customer. Thank you
Ive used Positive ID Labelling Ltd for all our egg box labels for many years now. Natalie is always above and beyond helpful and the service is exceptionally fast and efficient.
I inadvertently ordered the incorrect label guns which was quickly sorted by Natalie. She was excellent, customer service at its best! Thank you once again
Types of Egg Labels We Produce
Different egg businesses have different labelling needs. A small free-range farm selling at the gate has very different requirements to a commercial packing centre supplying supermarkets. We cater for all of them.
Branded Retail Egg Box Labels
Full-colour labels featuring your farm name, logo, imagery, and all mandatory information. These are what differentiate your eggs on supermarket shelves and in farm shop displays. We print at up to 1200dpi resolution on premium substrates, giving your brand a professional, eye-catching finish. Many of our egg producer customers use photographic images of their farms and flocks to communicate provenance and quality.
Compliance and Information Labels
Straightforward labels carrying the required regulatory information – packer number, farming method, weight grade, best before date, and storage instructions. These are ideal for wholesale and catering supply where branding takes a back seat to compliance. We can include blank date fields for manual marking or design them to work with your existing date coding equipment.
Supplementary and Temporary Labels
When regulations change or circumstances require additional labelling, you need labels fast. We supplied the egg industry with bird flu housing labels when DEFRA’s temporary housing order meant free-range eggs could no longer carry their usual designation. These small supplementary labels were applied to existing packaging to communicate the change to consumers. Whatever the situation, we can respond quickly with compliant labelling.
Materials for Egg Box Labels
Egg boxes present specific challenges for labels. The recycled cardboard substrate of most egg boxes has an uneven, absorbent surface that can cause issues with standard adhesives. Eggs are also stored in refrigerated conditions at retail, and labels must remain firmly attached throughout the supply chain.
- Paper labels with permanent adhesive are the most common choice for cardboard egg boxes. The adhesive bonds effectively to recycled board and the paper substrate accepts high-quality print. Gloss or matt lamination protects the print from handling and condensation in chilled cabinets.
- Polypropylene labels offer superior moisture resistance for eggs displayed in open chilled cabinets where condensation is a concern. These synthetic labels will not curl, wrinkle, or degrade in humid conditions, maintaining a clean appearance throughout the product’s shelf life. We use similar materials across our dairy labels and frozen food labels ranges.
- Clear labels for plastic egg cartons allow the eggs to remain visible whilst still carrying all required information. Transparent polypropylene with white ink backing ensures text remains legible against the egg background.
We also supply labels compatible with automated application equipment used by larger packing centres, ensuring consistent placement and production-line speed.
Printing Options
We offer two main printing methods for egg labels, each suited to different production volumes and requirements.
Digital printing is ideal for smaller producers, farm shops, and anyone needing short to medium runs. There are no plate costs, so even a few hundred labels are economical. Digital printing also makes it simple to produce multiple label variants in a single run – different egg sizes, farming methods, or seasonal designs can all be printed together without additional setup costs.
Flexographic printing delivers excellent consistency and value for larger production volumes. Once plates are produced, unit costs drop significantly on longer runs. Flexo also allows PMS spot colour matching for precise brand colour reproduction across every label.
Both methods produce vibrant, durable print on all our substrate options. Our Jetrion 4900 digital press and MPS 350 UV flexo press are capable of handling the most demanding egg label requirements.
Small Producers and Exemptions
If you sell fewer than 10,000 eggs per year directly to consumers from your own premises or at a local market, you may qualify for certain exemptions from the full egg marketing standards. However, even exempt producers must still provide basic information including your name, address, best before date, and a recommendation to refrigerate. Our egg labelling regulations guide explains the exemption thresholds and what small producers are still required to display.
For small-scale producers, we can design simple, cost-effective labels that cover these requirements without the complexity of full commercial egg box labelling. Digital printing means there is no minimum order quantity – we produce whatever you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you design egg box labels that include space for date stamping?
Yes. We regularly design labels with blank panels specifically positioned for thermal transfer or inkjet date coding. This allows pre-printed branded labels to be used across batches, with best before dates applied during packing.
What sizes work for standard egg boxes?
We stock over 1,000 die cutters covering most standard egg box dimensions. For six-egg boxes, labels typically range from 80mm x 50mm to 100mm x 70mm for the lid panel. Twelve-egg boxes and larger trays can accommodate larger labels. We can produce custom sizes to fit any egg packaging format using our digital laser cutting capability.
Do you supply labels for egg stamping machines?
Our focus is on egg box and egg carton labels rather than the ink stamps applied directly to individual eggs. For the box labels that complement your egg stamping, we ensure the information on the box matches and supports the producer code stamped on each shell.
What is the minimum order?
Digital printing has no minimum – we produce whatever quantity you need. Even a few hundred labels for a small farm shop are economical with our setup. Flexographic printing becomes more cost-effective from around 5,000 labels upward.
Can you help with label design?
Absolutely. Many of our egg producer customers come to us with a rough idea and we handle the design, ensuring all mandatory information is included in the correct format. We can work from your existing branding or create something new that represents your farm’s identity.
Order Your Egg Box Labels
Professional egg labels protect your brand and keep you compliant. Contact us for a free quotation tailored to your exact requirements.
Call 01332 864895 to discuss your egg labelling needs. Whether you are a small free-range producer or a commercial packing centre, our team can recommend appropriate materials, sizes, and formats for your operation.
Quality labels, fast delivery, competitive pricing – that’s what you get from a specialist UK manufacturer.
We’ve had a great experience working with this supplier, especially with Natalie - she is always very responsive, professional, and friendly. The pricing is highly competitive and the sales service has been excellent from start to finish. If I could offer one suggestion, it would be to improve the account and invoice management process. It would be really helpful if there were a system for clients to easily track their past orders and invoices in one place. Overall, very pleased with the service and look forward to continuing our collaboration.
Absolutely brilliant service from start to finish. The team are brilliant and the product was excellent quality and exactly what I wanted. Natalie is amazing as are her colleagues. Will definitely be a returning customer. Thank you
Ive used Positive ID Labelling Ltd for all our egg box labels for many years now. Natalie is always above and beyond helpful and the service is exceptionally fast and efficient.
I inadvertently ordered the incorrect label guns which was quickly sorted by Natalie. She was excellent, customer service at its best! Thank you once again