On June 27, 2024, the secretariat of the National Food Safety Standard Review Committee released the "National Food Safety Standard for General Principles of Prepackaged Food Labels (Draft for Solicitation of Opinions)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Draft"), with the deadline for soliciting opinions set for July 10, 2024. To enable food enterprises to quickly understand the revisions to GB 7718, Foodmate has sorted out the changes in this Draft compared to the current valid version for the industry's reference.

1. Modified terminology and definitions

The definition of prepackaged food has been adjusted, including the addition of foods that are prepackaged or prepared in packaging materials and containers for sale by measurement. The definitions of shelf life and specifications have been revised. The definition of digital labels has been added, and the definition of the main display panel has been removed.

2. Adjusted basic requirements for food labels

Specific requirements for font, font size, and labeling of multi-packaged foods have been removed. The term "health benefits" has been revised to "health functions (efficacy)."

3. Modified requirements for labeling content

The requirements for food names have been modified: the original definition of attribute names has been adjusted to specific requirements for food names. The requirements for font, font size, color, and descriptive language regarding processing techniques and manufacturing methods in food names have been removed.

The labeling requirements for ingredient lists have been revised: the specific usage requirements for the introductory phrase of the ingredient list have been removed and will be separately stipulated by the State Administration for Market Regulation. The exemptions for quantitative labeling have been moved to the appendix of the standard.

Specific labeling requirements for producer and operator information and net content have been removed and will be separately stipulated by the State Administration for Market Regulation.

The requirements for date labeling have been modified: for prepackaged foods with a shelf life of over one year and a maximum package surface area not exceeding 20cm^2, only the shelf life and expiration date need to be labeled. To avoid confusion for consumers and market regulators, the term "shelf life" has been adjusted to "consumption preservation period" as an optional labeling item, guiding consumers to consume food reasonably after purchase and avoid food waste.

The labeling of allergens in food is mandatory, and digital labeling requirements have been added.

4. Added labeling requirements for imported prepackaged foods

The Draft separately regulates the general requirements, ingredient lists, names, addresses, and contact information of producers and operators, country of origin or region, date labeling, suitable populations, serving sizes, or consumption methods for imported prepackaged foods.

5. Modified exempted labeling content

It is stipulated that under the premise of indicating the batch number, wines and alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of 10% or above may not indicate the production date. According to the requirements of the market regulatory departments, the labeling requirements for prepackaged foods with a maximum surface area less than 20cm² have been unified, no longer distinguishing between quantitative or measured forms of prepackaged foods.

Conclusion

Foodmate has found through comparison that the Draft has undergone significant changes compared to the current GB 7718 and the previous three drafts for solicitation of opinions. The modified content of the Draft can better guide the production and design of enterprises, facilitate the reading and understanding of consumers, and also provide convenience for the law enforcement inspections of regulatory departments. Foodmate reminds everyone to submit feedback opinions in accordance with the requirements within the specified time and make preparations for the adjustment of labeling and identification.