China SAMR Announces New Labeling Guidelines for Prepackaged Foods

On March 26, 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) of China announced several detailed guidelines, encouraging food businesses to improve the labeling of production dates and shelf lives on prepackaged food products, including food additives. The announcement is expected to facilitate greater transparency for consumers in identifying the packaging and labeling information.

The announcement encourages food manufacturers to follow the below guides:

1. The production date and shelf life of prepackaged foods should be prominently displayed on the principal display panel of the smallest sales package. For multi-layered smallest sales packages, these dates should also be indicated on the outermost packaging.

2. If the dates are labeled in the form of "see a certain location of the packaging", the location should be clear and easy to find, with an accurate description.

3. Characters, digits, and symbols on the labels should be no less than 3 mm in height, with a height-to-width ratio not exceeding 3:1.

4. The production date and the shelf life should be marked distinctly in contrasting colors, such as black text on a white background.

5. The expiration date of the shelf life should be marked in the order of the year, month, and day.

6. For packages containing multiple individual prepackaged foods, the expiration date should be marked according to the earliest expiring item, or each item’s expiration date should be individually noted on the outer packaging.

7. For prepackaged foods produced in a subdivided manner, both the production date of the subdivided food and the subdivision date should be labeled, with the shelf-lifeexpiration date marked according to the expiration date of subdivided product.

8. The authority calls for the improvement of date marking technologies such as jet coding and printing to ensure that the labeled content remains durable and clear.

The announcement aims not only to improve consumer knowledge and safety, but also to standardize and streamline the processing and marketing of prepackaged goods. The clear identification of production and expiration dates is expected to enhance consumer trust and satisfaction, resulting in more informed buying decisions. For more consultation services, please contact us.