Labeling of Prepackaged Foods for Special Dietary Uses to Take Effect Next Year

Lead-in: To ensure that the labeling standard for foods for special dietary uses is aligned with the current product standards and related standards for foods for special dietary uses, the newly issued "Labeling of Prepackaged Foods for Special Dietary Uses" will take effect on July 1, 2015.

Foods for special dietary uses refer to foods specially processed or formulated to meet special physical or physiological conditions and/or special dietary needs under states such as disease or disorder, mainly including infant formula foods, infant complementary foods, foods for special medical purposes and other foods for special dietary uses. Such foods have a certain particularity in terms of the applicable population and the content requirements for nutrients and/or other nutritional components, and there are special requirements for their labeling content, such as energy and nutritional components, method of consumption and indication of the applicable population.

Since the implementation of the Food Safety Law, China has issued and implemented basic food safety standards such as the "General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods" (GB7718-2011) and the "General Standard for the Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods" (GB28050-2011), as well as product standards for foods for special dietary uses such as "Infant Formula" (GB10765-2010), "Older Infant and Young Child Formula" (GB10767-2010), "General Standard for Infant Formula for Special Medical Purposes" (GB25596-2010) and "General Standard for Foods for Special Medical Purposes" (GB29922-2013).

To ensure that the labeling standard for foods for special dietary uses is aligned with the current product standards and related standards for foods for special dietary uses, in accordance with the Food Safety Law and the Measures for the Administration of National Food Safety Standards, our commission organized the revision of the former "General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods for Special Dietary Uses" (GB13432-2004, hereinafter referred to as GB13432-2004), and the newly issued "Labeling of Prepackaged Foods for Special Dietary Uses" (GB13432-2013, hereinafter referred to as GB13432-2013) will take effect on July 1, 2015.

GB13432-2013 applies to the labeling of prepackaged foods for special dietary uses, including nutrition labeling. The standard covers the general requirements for the labeling of prepackaged foods for special dietary uses, such as the food name, ingredient list, production date and shelf life, as well as nutrition labeling requirements, including the nutrition information panel. The standard clarifies the definition and classification of foods for special dietary uses, and the labeling of products that conform to the definition and classification shall comply with the provisions of this standard.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-361772.html