The manual’s publication seeks to develop a tool to practically identify the commercial and health requirements that must be present in the front-of- package labeling of prepackaged food and non-alcoholic beverages to comply with NOM-051.
On March 27, 2020, the specifications for front-of-package labeling of pre-packaged food and non-alcoholic beverages under NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010 were amended and published in the Official Gazette of the Federation. Regarding this, ECIJA has prepared a document summarizing the content and obligations that emanate from NOM-051 .
The relevance of the above is worth highlighting since the competent agencies, in this case being the Federal Consumer Prosecutor’s Office (PROFECO) and the Federal Commission for the Protection Against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS), are empowered to carry out verification visits to monitor the correct implementation of this official standard, and thus contribute to the protection of the health of the Mexican population.
The recently published manual summarizes the applicable regulations, identifying both the general and the nutritional labeling requirements. It also presents a normative appendix indicating the specific graphic components of the seal, the phases of evaluation for the front labeling system, and specific information on the legends and nutritional claims that must be displayed on the products.
Likewise, the document synthesizes the information and didactically presents how the mandatory requirements provided by NOM-051 should be; such as language, nutritional calculations, property declarations, and conditional properties respectively.
Finally, the document supplies an analysis regarding the content of the standard provisional articles, highlighting the dates to be considered and the specific obligations derived from them. Additionally, it provides practical examples of how the labeling system should be performed, and how the calculations should be carried out according to the first phase of implementing the new labeling.
It is important to note that, in accordance with NOM-051, those responsible for prepackaged products may temporarily use adhesive labels on the product label, provided that said labels comply exactly witht the provisions of the front labeling system. This alternative could only be used until March 31, 2021, and the entire standard entered into force on April 1, 2021.
The three phases through which the new front labeling is to be implemented began with phase one on October 1, 2020 to be concluded on September 30, 2023 (three years). The second phase begins on October 1, 2023 and lasts until September 30, 2025 (two years), and, finally, the third phase will begin on October 1, 2025. From this date, the provisions contained in the NOM-051 will be carried out fully, applying the calculation and evaluation of the complementary nutritional information.
