The State Administration for Market Regulation has issued ne

In daily life, consumers are often troubled by vague and difficult to find production dates and shelf lives on food packaging, and calculating whether food has expired is even more headache inducing. Now, the State Administration for Market Regulation has issued the "Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Food Labeling" (hereinafter referred to as the "Labeling Measures"), which will be implemented simultaneously with the newly revised "General Rules for Pre packaged Food Labeling of National Food Safety Standards", directly addressing the "long-standing difficulties" of food labeling and fully protecting consumers' right to know. ​

Directly addressing the existing challenges in food labeling

Food labeling, as a key way for consumers to obtain food information, is crucial for safeguarding their right to know and choose. However, in recent years, there have been frequent issues with non-standard food labeling, such as the inability to find, see clearly, and calculate the production date and shelf life, which have been criticized by consumers. With the continuous emergence of new varieties and formats of food, consumers have an increasingly urgent need for clear and accurate food labeling. ​

New regulations are introduced to deepen management effectiveness

In March last year, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued a notice on encouraging food enterprises to optimize the labeling of pre packaged food production dates and shelf life labels, guiding enterprises to optimize food labels from eight aspects such as labeling location and font size. On this basis, the "Identification Measures" will elevate effective incentive measures to mandatory requirements. At the same time, the "Labeling Measures" are closely linked with the "Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" and its implementing regulations and other laws and regulations. For non-standard food labeling behaviors, not only will they be ordered to rectify, but also corresponding fines will be imposed on violators. ​

Three major measures to solve the labeling problem

Accurate positioning: date annotation is clear at a glance

To solve the problem of "date not found", the "Labeling Measures" require that the production date and expiration date of pre packaged food be marked in a separate area on the packaging, and the markings are not easy to fall off. If the independent area is not on the main display page, it is necessary to clearly mark "see a certain part of the packaging" on the main display page to ensure that consumers can easily find it. ​

Clear and easy to read: dual guarantee of color and font

In response to the problem of unclear dates, the "Labeling Measures" stipulate that mandatory labeling items on food labels must be marked with contrasting text, symbols, etc. The production date and expiration date must be presented in a prominent form such as white background and black text. At the same time, the minimum font height for production date and expiration date markings has been significantly increased from 1.8 millimeters to 3.0 millimeters. For packaging with a maximum surface area of less than 35 square centimeters, the font height should not be less than 2.0 millimeters. In addition, according to the packaging area, the overall label font size requirements will be increased in a hierarchical manner. ​

Calculate load reduction: directly indicate the expiration date

To solve the problem of "difficult to calculate" shelf life, the "Labeling Method" and the "General Rules for Pre packaged Food Labeling of National Food Safety Standards" stipulate that pre packaged food must be directly labeled with the expiration date in the order of year, month, and day, and consumers do not need to calculate it themselves. ​

Multidimensional standardized food labeling

Name specification: truthfully reflect the properties of raw materials

To prevent misleading consumers with food names, the "Labeling Measures" require food names to truthfully reflect the true attributes of the food and the raw materials used. Food made from animal derived food ingredients should have the main ingredients reflected in their names. If the name reflects multiple raw materials, they need to be sorted from high to low according to the amount added. ​

Strict ban on labeling: strictly adhere to the bottom line of publicity and compliance

The "Labeling Measures" clearly stipulate that food labeling shall not involve disease prevention or treatment functions, shall not make false descriptions, and shall not be labeled as "special supply" or "exclusive supply". Except for health food, other foods shall not claim to have health functions. ​

Online supervision: Online sales standards have regulations

Regarding online food sales, the "Labeling Measures" stipulate that food producers and operators must publish food label information such as food name and shelf life on the main page of online sales. Third party platform providers for online food trading need to establish a food labeling information inspection and monitoring system, and strengthen supervision of operators within the platform. ​

The promulgation of the "Labeling Measures" is an important measure taken by the State Administration for Market Regulation to focus on people's livelihood concerns and improve the level of food safety supervision. It will effectively promote more standardized and clear food labeling, and create a more reassuring food consumption environment for consumers. ​