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On September 8, 2023, State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and Standardization Administration of China (SAC) jointly unveiled the finalized version of GB 43284-2023 Requirements of Restricting Excessive Package-Fresh Edible Agricultural Products. Edible agricultural products produced or imported before the implementation date, i.e., April 1, 2024, can still be sold until the end of their shelf life.
This standard was opened for public consultation in 2022 (check China Proposes GB Standard for Restricting Excessive Package of Edible Agricultural Products for more details). Compared with the exposure draft, the requirements regarding the excessive packaging of agricultural products are further optimized.
1. Application scope
The standard applies to the sales package of both Chinese domestic and imported agricultural products sold in China such as vegetables (including edible fungi), fruit, livestock and poultry meat, aquatic products, eggs, etc.
2. Interspace ratio
Interspace ratio refers to the ratio of the rest space in the packaging other than the necessary space volume occupied by fresh edible agricultural products to the total volume of the packaging. The interspace ratios of fresh edible agricultural products are listed below. If the package contains different types of edible agricultural products, the interspace ratio of the products with the maximum weight should be followed.
Interspace ratio for fresh edible agricultural products
Category | Total weight of fresh edible agricultural products (m), unit: kg | Interspace ratio, unit: % |
Vegetable (including edible fungi) | ≤1 | ≤25 |
＞1 | ≤20 | |
Fruit | ≤1 | ≤20 |
1＜m≤3 | ≤15 | |
＞3 | ≤10 | |
livestock and poultry meat | ≤1 | ≤20 |
1＜m≤3 | ≤15 | |
＞3 | ≤10 | |
Aquatic product | ≤1 | ≤25 |
＞1 | ≤20 | |
Egg | ≤3 | ≤20 |
＞3 | ≤15 | |
Notes: This table does not apply to products with only one packaging layer. | ||
3. Packaging layers
The following table lists the packaging layers requirements.
Packaging layers for fresh edible agricultural products
Category | Packaging layers |
Vegetable (including edible fungi) | ≤3 |
Fruit | ≤4 |
livestock and poultry meat | ≤4 |
Aquatic product | ≤4 |
Egg | ≤3 |
4. Packaging cost
The cost of sales packaging includes the cost of the following items: packaging materials, shopping bags, mesh bags/mesh pouches, mesh sleeves, bundling materials, padding, small tools, non-fresh edible agricultural product gifts, etc. It does not include freshness and vitality preservation functional packaging, such as those for cooling, gas regulation, moisture proofing, etc.
There is a strict ratio for packaging cost to the sales price. As the sales price for agricultural products fluctuates frequently, the standard clarifies that the contract price, or the price of actual transactions if there is no signed agreement, is regarded as the sales price. Additionally, it should be the highest one among the batch that the product belongs to.
Packaging cost requirements for fresh edible agricultural products
Category | Sales price | The ratio of packaging cost to sales price, unit: % |
Vegetable (including edible fungi) | - | ≤20 |
Fruit* | - | ≤20 |
Livestock and poultry meat | ≤100 | ≤20 |
＞100 | ≤15 | |
Aquatic product | ≤100 | ≤20 |
＞100 | ≤15 | |
Egg | ≤100 | ≤20 |
＞100 | ≤15 | |
Precious materials such as precious metal and redwood shall not be used as the packaging for edible agricultural products. | ||
*For strawberry, cherry, waxberry and loquat whose sales prices exceed RMB 100, the ratio of packaging cost to sales price should not be more than 15%. | ||
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