Packaging / Advertising & Office

For the dazzling array of imported pre-packaged foods in supermarkets, many people will inevitably be dazzled when choosing. In fact, as long as you look closely at its label, you can be a smart buyer. The label of prepackaged food refers to the words, graphics, symbols and all descriptions on the food packaging, including the content of mandatory labeling. With the development of social economy and the accelerating pace of people’s lives, pre-packaged foods occupy an increasing proportion in people’s lives. Food packaging labels, as the only carriers that directly provide food information to consumers, are authentic and accurate. Sex is especially important. The customs shall carry out inspection and supervision of pre-packaged food labels in accordance with relevant laws, administrative regulations, and national standards on food safety and import and export commodity inspection.

It should be noted that since October 1, 2019, the General Administration of Customs has cancelled the label filing requirements for the first imported pre-packaged food. The importer assumes the main responsibility and is responsible for reviewing whether the Chinese label of its imported pre-packaged food meets the requirements of relevant Chinese laws, administrative regulations and national food safety standards. For enterprises, this move reduces the customs supervision of imported food, saves the time for enterprise customs clearance and inspection and quarantine to a certain extent, and effectively saves related costs for enterprises.

The importance of label inspection

Food label management is an important safeguard measure for food safety and quality control, and it is also the easiest and most important way for consumers to obtain food-related information. It is also one of the important contents of food safety management in various countries. Food labelling regulations and standards and their conformity assessment procedures are technical trade barriers widely adopted by various countries or regions in the world. Trade disputes and trade barriers arising from this have also become issues that cannot be ignored that affect world food trade.

Label inspection of imported pre-packaged food is an indispensable content of imported food inspection. Unqualified label inspection may require technical rectification, or return or destroy the entire batch of products; if the label inspection meets the requirements, the inspection and release cycle can be shortened, so that imported food can quickly enter the market circulation field and effectively increase imports. Economic benefits of food trade. Therefore, imported food companies should attach great importance to food labeling, and carry out label design and review in accordance with relevant national standards in my country to achieve compliance with labels and standards.

Basic content covered by the label

The "General Rules for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods" GB7718-2011 covers two types of prepackaged foods directly provided to consumers and indirectly provided to consumers.

The former specifically includes: food name; ingredient list; quantitative labeling of ingredients; net content and specifications; the name, address and contact information of the producer and/or distributor; date labeling; storage conditions; food production license number; product standard Code; other content that needs to be marked.

The latter specifically includes: food name; net content and specifications; production date and shelf life; storage conditions; if other content is not standard on the label, it should be indicated in the instruction manual or contract.

Label inspection steps and review

The label inspection steps include the following four steps:

1Determine the food category

2 Determine the reference standard and basis

3 Audit according to standards

4Discover and promptly correct label problems

The review of label content includes the following seven aspects:

1 Whether the product meets the requirements of import and export laws and regulations

2 The review of label identification content, such as the standardization of text and format

3 Check the consistency of Chinese and foreign language content

4 Review of the use of food additives and nutrition fortifiers

5 Review of labeling methods

6 Review of original packaging content

7 Compliance audit

The difference between imported pre-packaged food and domestic pre-packaged food on the label

Domestic pre-packaged food must be marked with the name, address and contact information of the producer and distributor. Imported pre-packaged food should indicate the name of the country of origin or region of origin, as well as the name, address and contact information of the agent, importer or distributor legally registered in China; the name, address and contact of the producer may not be indicated The method, as well as the food production license number, the standard code and sequence number implemented by the product (if labeling, it should be true and accurate).

Domestic pre-packaged food must be compulsory to indicate the food production date and shelf life. If the original label of imported pre-packaged food has only the expiration date and the best expiry date, the date of manufacture should be truthfully indicated by means such as affixing or reprinting accordingly.

Food labels for imported pre-packaged foods can use both Chinese and foreign languages, as well as traditional characters. The mandatory labeling content in the "General Rules for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods" should be fully labeled, and the recommended labeling content can be selected. When imported pre-packaged food uses both Chinese and foreign languages, the meanings of the Chinese and foreign languages should be basically the same, and the foreign font size shall not be greater than the corresponding Chinese character size.

Other common problems

#01Food Name

The label contains the self-defined name of the company or country of origin, which cannot indicate the true attributes of the food, and a special name that can reflect its true attributes should be displayed in a prominent position on the food label; the food attribute reflected by the name of the food is wrong, such as a product label The name is strawberry biscuit with strawberry, but the actual strawberry flavor is used, it should be labeled as strawberry-flavored biscuit according to the real attributes; use font size, color difference, graphics, symbols and suggestive language to mislead consumers and make them mistakenly buy The product of ”is confused with another product with similar attributes. For example, the main ingredient of an orange juice drink is water, followed by orange juice. However, in the product name, “orange juice” uses a larger font size, while “beverage” uses a small The font size is similar to the background color, which is not easy to identify and misleads consumers.

#02Net content and specifications

The net content labeling is inaccurate. The kilograms and grams do not meet the labeling specifications. When the net content is greater than 1000g or 1000mL, the unit of measurement should be indicated as kilograms (kg) or liters (L); the labeling is not carried out in accordance with the prescribed method and character height, such as When the maximum surface area of the prepackaged food packaging or packaging container is greater than 35cm2, the height of the words, symbols, and numbers in the mandatory label content should be less than 1.8mm. In addition, such common problems include: the net content is not marked on the same display page as the food name; the food containing solid and liquid substances is not marked as the content of the drain (solid); the same pre-package contains too much A single piece of pre-packaged food, but the large package does not indicate the specifications as required.

#03 Ingredients List

Single ingredient products are not marked with the ingredient list (because some countries and regions require that single ingredients do not need to be marked with the ingredient list, but my country's standards require it to be marked, such as tea, drinking water); various ingredients are not added in accordance with the amount added when manufacturing or processing food The descending order is arranged one by one. For example, the biscuit ingredient list is "wheat flour, white sugar, edible vegetable oil" according to the descending order of the added amount; the ingredient names are not standardized. Common problems also include: the general name of food additives is not used; compound ingredients with an added amount of not less than 25% do not indicate the original ingredients; the word "etc" cannot appear in the ingredient list. In addition, the ingredient list is an important part of food labeling. When checking the format, attention should be paid to the applicability of new food raw materials, medical and food homology, the use range and dosage of food additives and nutritional fortifiers, and organic food and green food certification.

#04Legal Liability

According to Article 125 of the Food Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China, the production and operation of unlabeled prepackaged foods, food additives, or foods and food additives whose labels and instructions do not comply with the provisions of this law shall be handled by the people’s government at or above the county level. The food safety supervision and management department confiscates illegal income and illegal production and operation of food and food additives, and may confiscate tools, equipment, raw materials and other items used in illegal production and operation; the value of illegal production and operation of food and food additives is less than 10,000 yuan If the circumstances are serious, a fine of not less than 5,000 yuan but not more than 50,000 yuan shall be imposed; if the value of the goods is more than 10,000 yuan, a fine of more than five times but less than ten times the value of the goods shall be imposed; if the circumstances are serious, production and business shall be suspended until the permit is revoked.