Editor's Note: The article was published on August 13, 2024, and updated on December 31, 2024.
On December 30, 2024, the MFDS promulgated the revised Enforcement Rule of Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods. While the revisions exempting ice cubes and ice cream from the "Do Not Refreeze After Thawing" warning take effect immediately, other revisions will come into force on January 1, 2026.
Notably, mandatory nutrition labeling has expanded to cover honey, processed animal foods, etc. It will be implemented gradually based on the sales scale of enterprises, from 2026 to 2028:
For businesses with annual sales exceeding KRW 12 billion in 2022, the revised standards will apply to the manufacturing, processing, repackaging, or importing of food products starting January 1, 2026.
For businesses with annual sales of KRW 12 billion or less in 2022, the revised standards will take effect starting January 1, 2028.
As revealed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) on August 8, 2024, the draft of Enforcement Rule of Food Labeling Act1 was issued for public feedback until September 19, 2024. The authority mainly proposes to expand nutrition label to all processed foods, mandate the high-caffeine label for solid foods containing guarana, and intensify the labeling requirements for sugar alcohols and frozen foods.
1. Expanding nutrition label to all processed foods
Food nutrition label displays the nutrient information of the food product, including the amounts of calories, sodium, carbohydrates, sugars, fats, proteins, trans fats, saturated fats, and cholesterol. To provide citizens with more health information on the foods they consumed, MFDS proposes to expand the application scope of nutrition labels to all processed foods. According to the draft, foods subject to nutrition label are enlarged from the current 182 kinds to 259 kinds. The mandatory nutrition label will be implemented gradually based on enterprises’ sale scales, from 2026 to 2028. Details are as below:
Newly Proposed Foods Subject to Nutrition Label (77 kinds)
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Nevertheless, the authority also drafts out 30 food types exempted from nutrition labels, such as ice cubes, chewing gums, and other foods of less nutrition. Details are as follows:
Exemptions | Food Type |
Foods not for nutrient intake purpose |
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Foods with less nutrient contents |
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Foods whose nutrient contents are hard to be standardized |
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2. Mandating High-Caffeine Label for Solid Foods Containing Guarana
To prevent teenagers from excessive caffeine intake from high-caffeine jellies or other snacks, MFDS introduces the requirement to display a high-caffeine warning label on “solid foods containing guarana”, which is currently only applicable to liquid foods.
According to the draft, after the regulation implementation, if guarana is used as an ingredient in the solid food, and the food’s caffeine content exceeds 0.15mg/g, the total caffeine content and a high-caffeine warning should be prominently displayed on the package starting from 2026. More specifically, the three mandatory labeling items are:
"High Caffeine Product (고카페인 함유)"
"Total Caffeine Content: 000mg (총카페인 함량 000mg) or "Caffeine per Serving: 000mg (1회 섭취량 당 카페인 함량 000mg)”, and
"Caution: Not recommended for children, pregnant women, or people sensitive to caffeine (어린이, 임산부 및 카페인에 민감한 사람은 섭취에 주의해 주시기 바랍니다)".
3. Intensifying the Requirements for Sugar Alcohol Labeling
With increasing market demands on lower-calorie products, more manufacturers are using sugar alcohols as sweeteners instead of sugar. However, as overconsumption of sugar alcohols can lead to side effects like diarrhea, MFDS proposes to expand the sugar alcohol warning to any product containing 10% or more sugar alcohols.
The specific types and amounts of the sugar alcohol should be clearly indicated. For example, "Sugar Alcohol (D-Sorbitol 4%, D-Maltitol 10%)". Note, that the sugar alcohols permitted to be used as food additives include “lactitol, mannitol, D-maltitol, D-sorbitol, erythritol, isomalt, xylitol, polyglycerol syrup, maltitol syrup, and D-sorbitol liquid”.
In addition, the warning statement, such as "This product contains sugar alcohols. Excessive consumption may cause diarrhea. (당알코올 함유제품으로 과량 섭취 시 설사를 일으킬 수 있습니다)”, should be displayed near the ingredient list and differentiated with a contrasting background color.
4. Exempting of the "Do Not Refreeze After Thawing" Warning for Frozen Foods Consumed in Frozen State
Currently, frozen food products are required to display a warning stating "Do not refreeze after thawing (이미 냉동되었으니 해동 후 다시 냉동하지 마십시오)." However, for ice cubes, ice creams and other foods consumed in their frozen state, no thawing process is needed. Therefore, these products are to be exempted from this warning.