15. Q: How to understand the "small consumption and small contribution to the body's nutrient intake" in the standard Q&A (revised edition)? Can mandatory nutrition labeling be exempted for foods with 0 nutrient content?

A: Foods with small consumption and small contribution to the body's nutrient intake include beverages and alcohol, packaged drinking water, and foods with ≤10g or 10mL daily consumption.

If it does not belong to the pre-packaged food category that is exempted from mandatory nutrition labeling as stipulated in the standard, the nutrition label should be declared even if the mandatory nutrition content is 0.

16. Q: According to the explanations and examples of fresh food in the standard Q&A (revised edition), whether products such as scallops and dried squid are fresh foods, only salt-cured or salted fish or meat, salted dried fruits and lees meat(raw), etc., classified as fresh foods, and can they be exempted from mandatory nutrition labeling? How to understand "dry products without other ingredients"? Do pre-packaged foods such as soy flour, rice and barley need to be labeled with nutrition fact?

A: Fresh food refers to pre-packaged, uncooked, raw meat, raw fish, raw vegetables and fruits that are not added with other ingredients, such as bagged fresh (or frozen) shrimp, meat, fish or fish pieces, meat, minced meat, etc.; dry products without other ingredients, such as dried mushrooms, agaric, dried fruits, dried vegetables and raw eggs also belong to the scope of fresh food in this standard.

Soy flour, rice and barley need to indicate the nutrition fact. Aquatic products such as scallops and dried squid are not fresh foods because they have been cooked; only salt-cured or salted fish or meat, salted dried fruits and lees meat(raw) are not fresh foods, because it contains salt as an ingredient, neither of the above two types can be exempted from mandatory nutrition labeling.

17. Q: Should pre-packaged food braised seasoning with star anise and fennel as ingredients be marked with a nutrition fact?

A: If the food braised seasoning is only a spice mixture composed of star anise and fennel, no nutrition label is required.

18. Q: Does the label of sesame oil need to indicate the nutrition facts?

A: According to the standard text and the corresponding requirements of the official Q&A (revised edition) of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (formerly the Ministry of Health), the sesame oil that meets the definition of "prepackaged food" does not belong to the scope of exemption. Therefore, the nutrition fact should be declared in accordance with the standard requirements.

19. Q: Is it necessary to declare food nutrition labels for substitute tea and tea-containing products (such as lemon slices, cassia seeds, etc.)?

A: According to the standard Q&A, substitute tea and tea-containing products and other substitute tea products are foods with relatively small consumption and can be exempted from labeling nutrition labels.

Recommend article:
Q&A | National Food Safety Standards, General Principles of Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods (1)
Q&A | National Food Safety Standards, General Principles of Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods (2)
Q&A | National Food Safety Standards, General Principles of Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods (3)

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