Labelling for food and non-alcoholic beverages.

Regarding the suspension of the marketing of several brands of cheese ordered by the Ministry of Economy for non-compliance with the labelling for food and non-alcoholic beverages provided in NOM-051, then we share the most important of this guideline that, Literally, it’s causing a lot of headaches for a lot of companies.

It is the responsibility of the Federal Government to seek such measures as may be necessary to ensure that products marketed in the National Territory contain the necessary commercial information requirements to achieve effective consumer protection.

On November 8, 2019, the Decree reforming and adding various provisions of the General Health Law was published in the D.O.F., regarding overweight, obesity and the labelling of food and non-alcoholic beverages that establishes a frontal warning system.

The objective of the OFFICIAL MEXICAN STANDARD is to ESTABLISH THE COMMERCIAL AND HEALTH INFORMATION TO BE CONTAINED IN THE LABELLING OF THE PRE-PACKAGED PRODUCT INTENDED FOR THE FINAL CONSUMER, manufactured domestically or abroad, marketed in national territory, as well as determining the characteristics of that information and establishing a frontal labelling system, which should provide a clear and truthful warning about the content of critical nutrients and ingredients that pose risks to their health in excessive consumption.

Stamps or captions of recommendation or recognition by professional organisations or associations may be included on the label of pre-packaged products when they provide appropriate documentation supporting scientific, objective and reliable evidence, product evaluation in accordance with Article 32 of the Federal Consumer Protection Act.

In short, the labelling of food and non-alcoholic beverages must be very clear and establish with certainty the components, elements, ingredients and quantities of which a product is made.

And in the case we used as an example at the beginning of this article, the labelling showed that the cheeses were made with “100% milk”, a situation that is not true.

If you are in doubt about how to label your products and do not yet comply with NOM-051, on the labelling of food and non-alcoholic beverages, avoid serious problems and contact us to advise you in this process. In Bandala | Díaz | García, we have an expert team in Foreign Trade.

LEGAL NOTICE

The main purpose of this information is to provide guidance to the general public. It does not replace the provisions of applicable law. Nor does it replace the specialized legal advice or consultancy that can be offered by any of the lawyers and/or accountants of Bandala | Díaz | García