Research

UK Product Labelling & Packaging Failure Index

An analysis of UK Office for Product Safety and Standards alerts, reports and recalls where official notices identify warnings, labelling, instructions, markings or packaging issues.

Period
2026
Authors
Artwork Management UK research team
Status
Data in preparation
Last updated
Not yet published

Executive summary

This index will analyse official UK Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls to identify how often non-food product safety notices cite warnings, labelling, instructions, required markings, packaging, identification or traceability information.

The analysis is in preparation. No findings are published until the official data has been processed and classified.

Charts and data

The charts below will be populated from the processed official dataset. No figures are shown until then.

Labelling and packaging failures by year

Notices citing at least one labelling or packaging issue, per year.

Data in preparation

Labelling and packaging failures by product category

Product categories most frequently affected.

Data in preparation

Labelling and packaging failures by risk level

Distribution across official risk levels.

Data in preparation

Recall vs withdrawal vs modification

Corrective actions recorded in affected notices.

Data in preparation

Methodology

  • Notices will be collected from the official GOV.UK finder.
  • Each notice is classified using only the non-compliance and hazard wording in the official report.
  • Notices are grouped by year, product category, risk level, corrective action and failure category.
  • No causation is assumed beyond what the official notice states.

How incidents are classified

Warnings
Notice cites missing, incorrect or inadequate warnings.
Labelling
Notice cites incorrect or missing label information.
Instructions
Notice cites missing or inadequate instructions for use.
Required markings
Notice cites missing or incorrect conformity or other required markings.
Packaging
Notice cites a packaging-related non-compliance.
Identification & traceability
Notice cites missing product identification, batch or manufacturer information.

Limitations

  • Official notices describe identified non-compliances, not root causes.
  • Labelling issues often appear alongside other hazards; a notice may fall into several categories.
  • Coverage depends on what is reported to and published by the regulator.

Sources

Cite this research

Artwork Management UK (2026). UK Product Labelling & Packaging Failure Index. https://artworkmanagement.co.uk/research/uk-product-labelling-packaging-failure-index

Use our charts

You may reproduce charts from this report once published, provided you credit Artwork Management UK and link to this page.

Press and data requests

Journalists and researchers can request the underlying classified dataset once published via the contact page.

Requirements assessment

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