MONISTRY OF AGRICULTURE
Laws and Regulations Retrieving System

Article 1

These Regulations are enacted in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 14 of the Food Administration Act (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”).

Article 2

Terms used in these Regulations are defined as follows:

1. Market sales: An activity conducted at a public location where a person provides commodities to and receives payment from unspecific person(s).

2. Labeling: The product name, explanatory text, drawing or signs indicated on the package or container of food sold in the market.

3. Items to be labeled: Refer to all of the following:

a. Product name: Name and category of food.

b. Quality specifications: Combination and content of ingredients quality.

c. Origin: Origin of the ingredients.

d. Weight: Net weight of the content in the package or container.

e. Date of milling: The date (Year/Month/Day) when the food was produced.

f. Expiry term: Period from the date of manufacture to the date when food is safe to eat.

g. Name, telephone number and address of manufacturer: The data of food manufacturer, importer or distributor.

Article 3

Items to be labeled according to Article 14 of this Act must be labeled by the manufacturer, importer or distributor. For products that are manufactured, imported or distributed on consignment, the consignor must perform the labeling.

For manufacturers as mentioned in item 7 of subparagraph 3 in the previous article who are food dealers, the labeled manufacturer name, telephone number and address should be the same as in the Food Dealer Registration.

Article 4

Labeling shall be done , the following regulations shall be referred to:

1. Labeling shall be made in clear and legible Chinese and generally accepted symbols.

2. Only official typeset Chinese shall be used for labeling. Imported food should finish Chinese labeling before sale.

3. Length and width of the labeling fonts are regulated as follows:

a. Origin: Shall be no smaller than 0.6 cm.

b. Product name, manufacturer’s name and expiry term: Shall be no smaller than 0.2 cm.

c. Other items shall be labeled: Shall be no smaller than 0.2 cm. But for package or container with a surface area not exceeding 250 square centimeters, which are labeled in other recognizable manner, are not subject to this restriction.

4. Origin shall be clearly labeled in visible position on the front side of the package or container. Date of milling and expiry term should be printed on the package or container, not attached as a sticker.

5. Mixtures of two or more categories of food shall be labeled in decreasing ratios of respective ingredients from top to bottom.

6. For food mixed with other kinds of food, and sold in the form of a package or container, where a single food accounts for over 50% of the content in the package or container, the food label shall be made according to the Regulation.

Article 5

The product name of food that has been classified in the terminology of the National Standards shall be labeled according to the National Standards. The product name that has not been listed in the terminology of the National Standards may be labeled with a proper name.

Article 6

The food for which quality specifications has been graded in the National Standards, and that have met the corresponding grade, the grading shall be labeled. In case quality specifications has not met the National Standards, quality specifications shall be labeled as “Sub-standard”. And contents of the food shall be labeled according to the items of quality specifications stated in the National Standards. 

The quality specifications of food not stated in the National Standards shall be labeled according to its actual quality specifications.

Article 7

Food sold in the market shall be labeled with the origin of ingredients for producing the food. The origin of domestically produced food shall be labeled with “Republic of China” or “Taiwan” or name of the administrative region of centrally-governed municipality or county (or city). The origin of imported food from abroad shall be labeled with the name of the country where the food has been produced. Food blended with ingredients from two or more countries of origin shall be labeled with their respective proportions.

Article 8

The packaging weight of contents shall be labeled with net weight in the metric system, and may be with indication of a tolerance. 

The previous tolerance shall conform to the relevant regulation of the CNS 12924 Checking the Net Contents of Packaged Foods in the National Standards of the Republic of China (CNS).     

Article 9

Date of milling shall be labeled with year, month and day in a legible and conventionally acceptable manner.

Article 10

In case the expiry date can be calculated from the expiry term, the expiry term may be labeled with the expiry date. 

Article 11

Species of rice labeled on the package or container shall match the species of the content.

Article 12

For food with quality specifications stated in the National Standards, and not meeting Grade 2 or above quality specifications of the National Standards, such wordings as “high quality” or “good quality” that would likely mislead or confuse consumers shall not be used in the label, promotional literature or advertisement.

Article 13

In case a food item has been subjected to special treatment, the food manufacturer shall label the treatment process involved.

Article 14

Packaging of food shall conform to the sanitation standards of food utensils, containers and packages.

Article 15

These Regulations shall come into force six (6) months after the date of promulgation thereof.