Read imported food labels to protect 'safety on the tip of your tongue'

2025Food Safety Awareness Week Shangde abides by the law and shares food safety

With the improvement of residents' consumption level, more and more imported foods have entered the public eye. If you want to buy an imported pre-packaged food that has both quality assurance and meets your own needs, it is important to 'read' food labels.

Please follow Xiaoguan below to learn about the relevant knowledge.

1. What is imported prepackaged food?

Prepackaged food refers to food that is pre-packaged in quantitative quantities or made in packaging materials and containers; including food that is pre-packaged in quantitative quantities and pre-quantified in packaging materials and containers and has a uniform quality or volume label within a certain quantitative limit.

Most of the imported foods that consumers can purchase directly on the market are prepackaged foods.

2. Imported prepackaged food labels

Food labels are the text, graphics, symbols, and all instructions on food containers.

According to the relevant provisions of Article 97 of the 'Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China' and Article 30 of the 'Import and Export Food Safety Management Measures', imported prepackaged foods must have Chinese labels ; labels must comply with the provisions of this Law and other relevant laws and administrative regulations in China and the requirements of national food safety standards. Prepackaged foods without Chinese labels or labels that do not comply with relevant regulations are not allowed to be imported.。

3. How to read imported prepackaged food labels

Taking ordinary food as an example, on the labels of imported prepackaged foods provided directly to consumers the mandatory items include:

-Food name

-Ingredients list

-Net content and specifications (except exempt foods)

- Name, address and contact information of agent, importer (or) distributor

-Country (region) of origin

-Production date and shelf life

-Storage conditions

-Nutrition labels (except exempt foods)

Food name

The special name that reflects the true attributes of the food should be clearly marked in a conspicuous position.

Ingredients list

(1) The guide word is 'ingredients' or 'ingredients list' (vinegar, wine, soy sauce, etc. can be replaced by 'raw materials' or 'raw materials and accessories');

(2) Arrange them one by one in decreasing order of adding amount. Ingredients whose adding amount does not exceed 2% do not need to be arranged in decreasing order.

Xiaoguan Tip: The ingredient list is required to be arranged in descending order of content, the higher the content, the greater the content; looking at the ingredient list can also help consumers further confirm whether the food name they see is the food they want to buy. For example, raw milk should be the first ingredient in milk, but the main ingredient in milk drinks is not necessarily milk.

Net content and specifications

(1) The labeling of net content should consist of net content, numbers and legal measurement units; the marked net content should be marked on the same display panel as the name of the food on the packaging or container ;

(2) The measurement unit of net content should comply with the requirements in the following table:

Importer/Distributor/Agent Information

Imported food does not need to be labeled with the name of the production company. The contact information of the importer/distributor/agent should indicate at least one of telephone number, fax, email, postal address, etc.

Production date and shelf life

(1) The shelf life should be marked, and the production date and shelf life should not be affixed, reprinted or tampered with.

(2) Exemption from labeling the shelf life : beverages with alcohol content greater than or equal to 10%, vinegar, edible salt, solid sugar, and MSG.

storage conditions

It is recommended to label the guide words 'storage conditions', 'storage conditions', 'storage methods', etc. Label according to the actual storage conditions of the food: such as 'save at room temperature and need to be refrigerated after opening', etc.

Country/Region of Origin

If the food is produced in Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan, it should be marked as 'Origin: Hong Kong, China', 'Origin: Macao, China', 'Origin: Taiwan, China/Taiwan Region'.

Nutritional Facts

(1) The nutritional composition table should be marked in the following order: energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, sodium and other core nutrients;

(2) The nutritional composition table should be marked with the NRV% value (Nutrient Reference Value %);

(3) Exemption from nutritional labeling : fresh food, packaged raw meat, raw fish, raw vegetables and fruits, poultry eggs, etc., beverages with alcohol content ≥0.5%, packaged drinking water, and prepackaged food with a daily consumption of ≤10g or 10mL.

Xiaoguan Tips : The above mentioned are mainly for ordinary food. In fact, 'unusual' foods such as infant formula, foods for special medical purposes and health foods also have labels, and their management standards are different from ordinary foods. For example, 'Chinese labels for imported health foods and foods for special dietary purposes must be printed on the minimum sales package and must not be affixed.' Consumers should pay more attention when purchasing.

4.Other information

What is mentioned above is mainly the content and related requirements that must be marked on the Chinese labels of imported prepackaged foods. Food labels also include 'text, graphics, symbols and all instructions on food packaging.' Other content is also important to specific groups of people or under specific conditions.

batch number

Enterprises can choose to label the batch number of food according to their needs.

How to eat

According to the actual characteristics of the food, useful instructions for consumers such as how to open the container, how to use it, how to cook it, etc. can be marked.

Allergenic substances

Foods and products containing foods and products that may cause allergic reactions should use easily identifiable names in the ingredient list, or provide a reminder near the ingredient list.

Irradiated food

(1) Foods that have been treated with ionizing radiation or ionizing energy should be labeled 'irradiated food' near the name of the food;

(2) Ingredients that have been irradiated should be marked in the ingredient list.

Xiaoguan Tips :

Irradiated food ≠ nuclear radiation-contaminated food: 'Food irradiation' is the use of ionizing radiation to inhibit germination, delay or promote maturity, insecticide, sterilization, sterilization and antisepsis of food; while 'nuclear radiation-contaminated food' usually refers to food contaminated with radioactive materials after a nuclear accident. After humans eat these foods, radioactive contaminants will accumulate in internal organs, thereby greatly increasing the risk of illness.

Source: Shanghai Customs 12360 hotline | If there is any infringement, please contact us to delete it