Only the QS logo without a number does not violate the regulations. Because this is not a mandatory requirement for labeling.

General Standard for Prepackaged Food Labeling

GB 7718-2004

Foreword

5.3 of this standard is recommended, and the rest are Mandatory.

This standard is not equivalent to the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) CODEX STAN 1-1985 (1991, 1999 revision) "General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods", and also refers to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations § 101 " Food Labeling".

This standard replaces GB7718-1994 "General Standard for Food Labeling".

Compared with GB7718-1994, the main changes in this standard are as follows:

——The name of the standard is changed to: General Principles for Labeling of Prepackaged Foods;

—— GB7718-1994 "Chapter 4 Basic Principles" and "Chapter 8 Basic Requirements" are merged into "Chapter 4 Basic Requirements" of this standard, and have been modified and supplemented;

—— Added " The height of the text, symbols and numbers in the mandatory labeling content shall not be less than 1.8mm" (see 4.8);

- Added "category names that can be used in the ingredient list" (see 5.1.2.2.2 );

—— Added “marking requirements for net content measurement units” (see 5.1.4.3) and “minimum height requirements for net content characters” (see 5.1.4.4);

——Added the labeling requirements for the names and addresses of group companies, branches, production bases or units entrusted to process pre-packaged foods (see 5.1.5);

——Added the exemption from labeling the shelf life category of prepackaged food (see 5.2.1);

——Added “calculation method for the maximum surface area of ??packaging or packaging containers” (see Appendix A).

GB 7718-2004 is one of the series of national standards for food labeling. The corresponding national standards are:

GB 10344-2004 "General Principles for Labeling of Prepackaged Beverages and Wine" (replacing GB 10344-1989);

GB 13432-2004 "General Principles for the Labeling of Prepackaged Special Dietary Foods" (replacing GB13432-1992).

Appendix A of this standard is a normative appendix.

This standard is proposed and administered by the National Food Industry Standardization Technical Committee.

This standard is drafted by a drafting working group organized by the National Food Industry Standardization Technical Committee.

The main drafters of this standard: Hao Yu, Wang Yanjing, Wang Meiling, Bai Demei, Tian Qijing, Tian Mingfu, Xu Hongmin, Yang Guizhi, Yang Xiaoming, Zhang Lijun, Chen Yaojun, Zheng Xin, Zhao Xuejun, Dong Hongyan, Ji Chao, Jian Huiwei, Lin Linan.

The previous versions of the standards replaced by this standard are:

——GB 7718-1987; GB 7718-1994.

General principles for labeling of prepackaged foods

1 Scope

This standard specifies:

—Basic requirements for labeling of prepackaged foods ( See Chapter 4);

——Mandatory labeling contents on prepackaged food labels (see 5.1);

——Exemption from mandatory labeling contents on prepackaged food labels (see 5.2) ;

——Non-mandatory labeling content of prepackaged food labels (see 5.3).

This standard applies to all prepackaged food labels provided to consumers.

2 Normative reference documents

The provisions in the following documents become provisions of this standard through reference in this standard. For dated reference documents, all subsequent amendments (excluding corrigenda) or revisions do not apply to this standard; however, parties reaching an agreement based on this standard are encouraged to study whether to use the latest versions of these documents. For undated referenced documents, the latest edition applies to this standard.

GB 2760 Hygienic Standards for the Use of Food Additives

GB/T 12493 Classification and Codes of Food Additives

GB 13432—2004 General Principles for Labeling of Foods for Special Dietary Use

3 Terms and Definitions

The following terms and definitions apply to this standard.

3.1

Prepackaged foods

Foods that are pre-packaged in quantitative quantities or packed (filled) into containers and provided directly to consumers.

3.2

Food label food label

The text, graphics, symbols and all instructions on food packaging.

3.3

Ingredients

Any substance used in the manufacture or processing of food and present (including in modified form) in the product , including food additives.

3.4

Processing aid

Processing aid

Itself is not used as a food ingredient, but only in processing, preparation or During the treatment process, substances or materials (excluding equipment and utensils) used to achieve a certain process purpose.

3.5

date of manufacture

Manufacture date

The date when the food becomes the final product.

3.6

date of packaging

filling date

Put (fill) food into packaging or containers , the date on which the final sales unit is formed.

3.7

Shelf life date of minimum durability

Best before best before

Minimum applicable date date of minimum durability

The period of time that prepackaged foods maintain quality under the storage conditions specified on the label. During this period, the product is fully fit for sale and retains its unique qualities that do not have to be or have been stated in the label. Beyond this period, prepackaged foods may still be edible for a certain period of time.

3.8

Shelf life use-by date

Recommended last consumption date, expiration date

Prepackaged food Estimated end-of-use date under the storage conditions specified on the label. After this date, prepackaged foods may no longer have the quality characteristics expected by consumers and should no longer be consumed.

3.9

Principal display panel

When consumers purchase prepackaged food, it is the most easily observed panel on the packaging or packaging container.

4 Basic Requirements

4.1 All contents of prepackaged food labels should comply with national laws and regulations, and comply with the provisions of corresponding product standards.

4.2 All contents of prepackaged food labels should be clear, eye-catching, and durable; they should be easy for consumers to identify and read when purchasing.

4.3 All contents of prepackaged food labels should be easy to understand, accurate, and scientifically based; no contents that are superstitious, pornographic, disparaging of other foods, or contrary to scientific nutritional knowledge are allowed.

4.4 All contents of prepackaged food labels shall not introduce food in words, graphics, etc. that are false, misleading to consumers or deceptive; nor shall they use font size or color difference to mislead consumers.

4.5 All contents of prepackaged food labels shall not use directly or indirectly suggestive language, graphics, or symbols that may cause consumers to confuse the purchased food or a certain property of the food with another product.

4.6 The label of prepackaged food shall not be separated from the packaging (container).

4.7 Label contents of prepackaged foods should use standardized Chinese characters, but do not include registered trademarks.

4.7.1 Pinyin or ethnic minority characters can be used at the same time, but they must not be larger than the corresponding Chinese characters.

4.7.2 Foreign languages ??can be used at the same time, but they should have a corresponding relationship with Chinese characters (except for the manufacturer and address of imported food, the name, address and website of foreign distributors). All foreign characters must not be larger than the corresponding Chinese characters (except for foreign registered trademarks).

4.8 When the maximum surface area of ??the packaging or packaging container is greater than 20cm2, the height of the text, symbols, and numbers mandatory to indicate the content shall not be less than 1.8mm.

4.9 If all or part of the mandatory labeling content on the inner packaging or container can be clearly identified through the outer packaging, the corresponding content does not need to be repeatedly marked on the outer packaging.

4.10 If there is an outer package (or large package) outside the inner package (or container) for direct delivery to consumers, the mandatory labeling content can be marked only on the outer package (or large package).

5 Labeling content

5.1 Mandatory labeling content

5.1.1 Food name

5.1.1.1 Should be in a conspicuous position on the food label , clearly indicating the special name that reflects the true properties of the food.

5.1.1.1.1 When one or several names of a certain food have been specified in national standards or industry standards, one of them, or an equivalent name, should be used.

5.1.1.1.2 When there is no name specified by national standards or industry standards, common names or popular names that will not misunderstand or confuse consumers should be used.

5.1.1.2 "Newly created name", "unique name", "transliterated name", "brand name", "regional slang name" or "trademark name" can be marked, but it should be in the name shown The adjacent parts are marked with any name specified in 5.1.1.1.

5.1.1.2.1 When "newly created names", "fancy names", "transliterated names", "brand names", "regional slang names" or "trademark names" contain food that is easily misunderstood When specifying the text or term (word) of an attribute, the special name indicating the true attribute of the food should be used in the adjacent parts of the name with the same font size.

5.1.1.2.2 When the special name of the true attributes of the food may easily misunderstand the food attributes due to different font sizes, the special name indicating the true attributes of the food should also be used in the same font size. For example, "orange juice" and "beverage" in "orange juice drink", and "chocolate" and "sandwich biscuits" in "chocolate sandwich biscuits" should all use the same font size.

5.1.1.3 In order to avoid consumers from misunderstanding or confusing the true attributes, physical state or preparation methods of food, corresponding words or phrases can be appended before or after the food name. Such as dried, concentrated, reconstituted, smoked, fried, powdered, and granular.

5.1.2 List of ingredients

5.1.2.1 The label of prepackaged food should indicate the list of ingredients. Single ingredient foods are excluded.

5.1.2.1.1 The list of ingredients should be titled "Ingredients" or "Ingredients List".

5.1.2.1.2 Various ingredients should be arranged in decreasing order of the amount added when manufacturing or processing food; ingredients whose added amount does not exceed 2% do not need to be arranged in decreasing order.

5.1.2.1.3 If an ingredient is a composite ingredient composed of two or more other ingredients, the name of the composite ingredient should be indicated in the ingredient list, followed by brackets. Indicate the original ingredients of the compound ingredients in decreasing order of the amount added. When a certain compound ingredient has a national standard or industry standard and its addition amount is less than 25% of the total food, there is no need to label the original ingredients of the compound ingredient, but the food additives that play a technological role in the final product should be labeled one by one.

5.1.2.1.4 Water added during food manufacturing or processing should be declared in the ingredient list. Water or other volatile ingredients that have evaporated during processing do not need to be labeled.

5.1.2.1.5 Edible packaging should also indicate the original ingredients in the ingredient list. Such as edible capsules and sticky rice paper for candy.

5.1.2.2 Various ingredients should be labeled with specific names according to 5.1.1, except for the following circumstances.

5.1.2.2.1 Sweeteners, preservatives, and colorants should be labeled with specific names. Other food additives can be labeled with specific names or category names in accordance with the provisions of GB 2760. When two or more colorants are added to a food, the category name (colorant) can be marked, followed by brackets and the code specified in GB/T 12493. For example, if a food contains turmeric, chrysanthemum yellow extract, allura red, golden cherry brown, and rosella red, it can be labeled as: "Coloring agent (102, 113, 012, 131, 125)".

5.1.2.2.2 The following food ingredients can be labeled with category names according to Table 1.

5.1.2.3 When the raw materials used during processing have been changed into other ingredients (referring to fermented products, such as wine, soy sauce, vinegar), "raw materials" or "raw materials and auxiliary materials" can be used instead of "ingredients" ", "Ingredient List", and label various raw materials, auxiliary materials and food additives according to 5.1.2.1.2.

5.1.2.4 Processing aids used in manufacturing and processing food do not need to be declared in the ingredient list.

5.1.3 Quantitative labeling of ingredients

5.1.3.1 If the addition of one or several valuable and characteristic ingredients is particularly emphasized on the food label or food instructions, it should be Indicate the amount of the highlighted ingredient.

5.1.3.2 Similarly, if the label of a food specifically emphasizes that the content of one or several ingredients is low, the content of the highlighted ingredients in the finished product should be indicated.

5.1.3.3 If an ingredient is mentioned in the name of the food but is not highlighted on the label, the content of the ingredient in the finished product does not need to be declared. The added amount is very small and is only used as an ingredient for spices without special emphasis on the label. There is no need to indicate the content of spices in the finished product.

5.1.4 Net content and drained matter (solid content) content

5.1.4.1 The labeling of net content should consist of net content, numbers and legal measurement units. Such as "net content 450g", or "net content 450g".

5.1.4.2 The net content of the food in the package (container) should be marked in the following manner according to the legal unit of measurement:

a. For liquid food, use volume - L (l ) (liter), mL (ml) (millilitre);

b. Solid food, with mass - g (gram), kg (kilogram);

c. Semi-solid or sticky foods, using mass or volume.

5.1.4.3 The measurement unit of net content should be marked according to Table 2.

5.1.4.4 The minimum height of the net content characters should comply with the provisions of Table 3.

5.1.4.5 The net content and the name of the food should be displayed on the same display page of the packaging or container.

5.1.4.6 For foods containing solid and liquid two-phase substances in the container (such as canned pears in sugar water), in addition to the net content, the content of drained matter (solid matter) should also be marked. Expressed by mass or mass fraction.

5.1.4.7 If the same prepackage contains several independent pieces of the same prepackaged food, the quantity or number of pieces of food should also be indicated in addition to the net content. Excludes small packages within large packages that are not sold individually, such as small pieces of candy.

5.1.5 Names and addresses of manufacturers and distributors

5.1.5.1 The names and addresses of the food manufacturing, packaging or distribution units registered in accordance with the law should be indicated. If any of the following situations occurs, it shall be marked according to the following provisions.

5.1.5.1.1 Group companies and branches (subsidiaries) of group companies that independently bear legal responsibilities in accordance with the law should indicate their respective names and addresses.

5.1.5.1.2 Branches (subsidiaries) of group companies or production bases of group companies that cannot bear independent legal liability according to law can indicate the names and addresses of group companies and branches (production bases) , or you can only indicate the name and address of the group company.

5.1.5.1.3 If you are entrusted by other units to process prepackaged foods but are not responsible for external sales, the name and address of the entrusting unit should be indicated.

5.1.5.2 Imported prepackaged foods should be marked with the country or region name of the country of origin (referring to Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan), as well as the name of the agent, importer or distributor registered in China according to law. Name and address.

5.1.6 Date marking and storage instructions

5.1.6.1 The production date (or packaging date) and shelf life of prepackaged food should be clearly marked, and the shelf life can also be additionally marked. If the date is marked by "seeing a certain part of the package", the specific part of the package should be marked.

Date markings may not be additionally affixed, reprinted or tampered with.

5.1.6.1.1 The date should be marked in the order of year, month and day. For example, 2004 01 15 (separated by a separator); 20040115 (without a separator); 2004-01-15 (separated by a hyphen); January 15, 2004. The year number should generally be marked with 4 digits; small packaged foods that are difficult to mark with 4 digits can be marked with 2 digits.

5.1.6.1.2 The shelf life or shelf life should be indicated in one of the following ways:

a) For shelf life

"Preferably before..." "Eat" or "Best before";

"Best before", "Best before" or "Best before";

"Best before this date...", "Best before this date..." or "Best before this date...";

"Shelf life (to)..." ;

"Shelf life ×× months [×× days (days), × years]".

b) For shelf life

"Eat before...", or "Drink before...";

"Use before this date..." , or "Drink before this date...";

"Shelf period (to)...";

"Shelf period ×× months" [×× day (days) ,×year].

5.1.6.2 If the shelf life or shelf life of a food is related to storage conditions, the specific storage conditions of the food should be indicated.

5.1.7 Product standard number

Prepackaged foods produced and sold domestically (excluding imported prepackaged foods) should be marked with the national standards, industry standards, and local standards implemented by the enterprise. The code and sequence number of the standard or registered enterprise standard.

5.1.8 Quality (quality) grade

For foods whose quality (quality) grade has been clearly specified in the product standards implemented by the enterprise, the quality (quality) grade should be indicated.

5.1.9 Other mandatory labeling contents

5.1.9.1 Irradiated food

5.1.9.1.1 Food treated with ionizing radiation or ionizing energy , "Irradiated food" should be marked near the food name.

5.1.9.1.2 Any ingredients that have been treated with ionizing radiation or ionizing energy should be marked in the ingredient list.

5.1.9.2 Genetically modified foods

The labeling of genetically modified foods should comply with the regulations of the administrative department of the State Council.

5.2 Exemption from mandatory labeling

5.2.1 The following prepackaged foods can be exempted from labeling shelf life:

Beverage alcohol with an ethanol content of 10% or more ; Vinegar; Edible salt; Solid sugar.

5.2.2 When the maximum surface area of ??the packaging or packaging container is less than 10cm2, only the product name, net content, manufacturer (or distributor) name and address can be marked. Imported prepackaged foods should be marked with the country or region name of the country of origin (referring to Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan), as well as the name and address of the agent, importer or distributor registered in China in accordance with the law; the name and address of the manufacturer are exempted. address.

See Appendix A for the calculation method of the maximum surface area of ??packaging or packaging containers.

5.3 Optional labeling content

5.3.1 Batch number

If necessary, the batch number of the product can be marked.

5.3.2 Instructions for consumption

If necessary, the container opening method, consumption method, daily (per meal) consumption, cooking method, and rehydration method can be marked. and other instructions that are helpful to consumers.

5.3.3 Energy and nutrients

If the energy value and nutrient content are marked, and claims of nutrient content levels, nutrient content comparisons, and nutrient effects should comply with the regulations of GB 13432-2004.

QS is the English abbreviation of food "Quality Safety". Products with the QS mark indicate that the product has passed the mandatory inspection and is allowed to enter the market. This is the food quality and safety market access system based on the food production license system. Specifically, all food production companies must pass mandatory inspections, mark the food production license number on the food packaging of the smallest sales unit, and print the food quality and safety market access mark ("QS" mark) Only then can it be sold out of the factory. If there is no food quality and safety market access mark, it shall not be sold out of the factory. Starting from January 1, 2004, my country first implemented a food quality and safety market access system in the five food industries of rice, edible vegetable oil, wheat flour, soy sauce and vinegar.

QS and food safety issues

Food quality and safety mainly include three aspects:

First, food contamination. With the continuous production and application of various chemical substances, the types and sources of harmful substances are becoming more and more complex. This means that there may be natural harmful substances, environmental pollutants, misused food additives and harmful substances produced during processing, storage, transportation and cooking in food. Contaminated food may affect the properties of the food when eaten, and may also cause chronic poisoning in consumers, or even cause acute food poisoning. At present, one of the main problems is the contamination of hormones and veterinary drug residues in livestock and poultry meat.

The second is the quality problems brought about by new technologies. Such as food additives, production preparations, medium-irradiated food, genetically modified food, etc. What kind of impact these foods produced using new technologies will have on the human body still requires a process of understanding.

The third is the abuse of food labels. Some unscrupulous traders often use food labels to deceive consumers. The main means by which unscrupulous traders abuse food labels are as follows: (1) Forging food labels, such as forging production dates, falsely using factory names and addresses, and falsely using quality marks; (2) Lack of warning instructions; (3) False registration of food functions or ingredients, using exaggerated methods to show functions or ingredients that the food does not have; (4) lack of Chinese labels, imported foods and even some domestic foods use foreign language labels, making it difficult for Chinese people to identify.

Interpretation of "QS"

It is understood that the original meaning of food quality and safety refers to the degree to which food quality guarantees the health and safety of consumers. The quality of food is related to consumers' health and personal and property safety. It must comply with the requirements of national laws, administrative regulations and mandatory standards. Quality problems cannot arise due to food raw materials, packaging or production, processing, transportation and storage. The food quality and safety market access system is a regulatory system that ensures food quality and safety. Only producers who meet specified conditions are allowed to carry out production and business activities, and only food that meets specified conditions is allowed to be produced and sold.

Foods that meet quality and safety market access conditions will be marked with the QS mark. QS is the abbreviation of quality safety in English. The food quality and safety market access system includes three specific systems.

First, a production license system is implemented for food production enterprises. Enterprises that have the production conditions and can produce food to ensure food quality and safety will be granted a "Food Production License". Otherwise, they will not be allowed to produce food. This ensures that enterprises can produce food that meets quality and safety from the production conditions.

The second is to implement a compulsory inspection system for the food produced by the enterprise. Food that has not been inspected or failed to pass the inspection is not allowed to leave the factory for sale. Production enterprises that do not have the conditions for self-inspection are forced to implement commissioned inspection. This helps to control the factory quality of products.

The third is to implement a market access marking system for products subject to the production license system. Food that has passed the inspection must be affixed or printed with the QS mark. Food without this mark is not allowed to enter the market for sale. This will facilitate identification and supervision by the public and law enforcement agencies.

QS and the food quality and safety market access system

In 2002, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine officially launched the food quality and safety market access system in an attempt to completely reverse the situation where only half of the domestic food quality at that time was qualified. dilemma.

The access system is simply: The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has formulated the system from 10 aspects including raw materials, production equipment, process flow, inspection equipment and capabilities based on the basic requirements that must be met for food quality to meet safety standards. Strict and specific requirements require that only companies that pass these "ten-level" reviews are allowed to produce food. Only companies that pass the inspection can affix the QS mark and enter the market. The entry threshold for production companies to enter the food industry has been raised from the source. A large number of small enterprises and small workshops that cannot meet the access requirements have no choice but to close their doors or change production.

For food companies that have obtained production qualifications, the access system also clarifies and formulates specific follow-up regulatory measures such as inspections, annual reviews, compulsory inspections, supervisory spot checks, return visits, etc., to ensure that the qualified rate of certified foods and Rest assured, once a quality problem is discovered, the company only has one chance to rectify it. If it is discovered again, it will face the "death penalty".

In 2002, five categories of food, including rice, noodles, oil, soy sauce, and vinegar, which had outstanding quality and safety problems, were the first to be included in the food quality and safety market. Only one-half of them finally crossed the entry threshold. Since 2003, market access for 23 types of food including meat products, dairy products, beverages, and instant noodles has also been launched.

In 2006, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine announced that it would complete the review of market access for 28 major categories of processed food manufacturers by the end of the year. This also means that after five years of hard work, all domestic processed foods will be approved. It has been incorporated into food quality and safety market access management. The government has issued more than 87,000 food production licenses, and the market share of products of certified companies has reached 90%. More than 60,000 unlicensed production companies have been investigated and banned. Statistics from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine show that the food qualification rate after the implementation of the quality and safety market access system has increased by an average of 30 percentage points compared with before the implementation.

QS and the "Quality and Safety Supervision and Management Measures for Food Production and Processing Enterprises"

The "Quality and Safety Supervision and Management Measures for Food Production and Processing Enterprises" (hereinafter referred to as "Measures") is a specific measure taken by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine to implement the State Council's implementation of the food and drug safety project. The "Measures" clearly stipulate that enterprises are not allowed to produce and process corresponding foods without obtaining a food production license; production without obtaining a production license is unlicensed production; food quality and safety is not stamped (labeled) without passing the inspection Food with a market access mark shall not be sold out of the factory. Food production and processing enterprises must have the necessary production conditions to ensure food quality and safety, and obtain a food production license according to prescribed procedures. In addition to the restrictions stipulated in laws and administrative regulations, no unit may impose additional conditions to restrict an enterprise from applying for a food production license.

The "Measures" stipulate that enterprises that meet the certification conditions after passing the necessary condition review and certification inspection shall obtain a food production license from the local provincial quality and technical supervision department in accordance with the prescribed procedures. If the company fails to pass the necessary condition review or certification inspection and does not meet the certification conditions, the quality and technical supervision department shall issue a "Notice of Unqualified Food Production License Review" to the enterprise and explain the reasons. From the date of issuance of the "Notice of Unqualified Food Production License Examination", the enterprise's original "Notice of Acceptance of Food Production License" shall be automatically invalidated. From the day the enterprise receives the "Notice of Unqualified Food Production License Examination", it should immediately make rectifications and wait two months before submitting another application for certification.

If the food produced by export food production and processing enterprises is sold within the territory of the People's Republic of China and the People's Republic of China, they must apply for a food production license in accordance with the provisions of the "Measures". Enterprises that have obtained the export food hygiene registration certificate and registration certificate issued by the entry-exit inspection and quarantine agency, or enterprises that have passed the HACCP system certification and verification, are exempt from the review of the prerequisites for the enterprise when applying for a food production license. When applying for a food production license, food certification enterprises recognized by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China will simplify or exempt the review of necessary conditions for the enterprise based on the principle of non-duplication.

It should be noted that enterprises should properly keep the food production license certificate. If the production license certificate is lost or illegible due to damage or force majeure, etc., it should promptly publish a statement in a newspaper at or above the provincial level, At the same time, report to the provincial quality and technical supervision department. The provincial quality and technical supervision department shall promptly accept the enterprise's application for reissue of food production license, handle the procedures for reissue of the certificate in accordance with regulations, and report to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine for record.