Taipei, Chinese Updates Prepackaged Food Nutrition Labeling Rules

Taipei, Chinese has amended nutrition labeling requirements for milk, bread, and instant noodles through formal regulatory updates.

Compliance Answer: Amended Nutrition Labeling Requirements for Milk, Bread, and Instant Noodles in Taipei, Chinese

The Regulations on Nutrition Labeling for Prepackaged Food Products (hereafter "the Regulations") were amended to update nutrition labeling requirements, including for milk, bread, and instant noodles. The amendments were promulgated on 23 June 2022 and will take effect on 1 July 2024¹. Below is a structured summary of the key changes and obligations applicable to these products.

1. Scope of Applicability

The amended Regulations apply to all prepackaged food products, including milk, bread, and instant noodles, sold in Taipei, Chinese. The requirements cover:

• Mandatory nutrition labeling (e.g., calories, nutrients per serving and per 100g/ml).
• Formatting rules for numerical values and units.
• Conditions for "0" labeling of caloric and nutrient values^{1, 2}.

2. Key Amendments Affecting Milk, Bread, and Instant Noodles

A. Mandatory Nutrition Labeling Components

The following must be displayed on the label in the specified format¹:

B. Serving Size and Per-Serving Units

• The unit of per serving must now align with the unit per 100g/ml (e.g., if protein is labeled per 100g, the per-serving value must also use grams)².
• For products like instant noodles, where serving size may vary (e.g., "per 100g" or "per package"), the label must clearly state both per-serving and per-100g/ml values¹.

C. "0" Labeling Conditions

• Calories or nutrients may be labeled as "0" only if:
  • The actual content is < 0.5g per serving (for macronutrients like fat, carbohydrates) or < 5mg per serving (for sodium)¹.
  • The label must still disclose the actual content if the product makes a nutrition claim (e.g., "low fat")².

D. Data Formatting Rules

• Numerical values must be rounded as follows:
  • < 50 units: Round to the nearest whole number (e.g., 49.6 → 50).
  • ≥ 50 units: Round to the nearest 10 (e.g., 54 → 50; 55 → 60)¹.
• Decimals are permitted only for values < 1 unit (e.g., 0.5g)².

E. Nutrition Claims

• The definition of nutrition claims (e.g., "low sugar," "high protein") has been revised to align with international standards².
• Claims must now comply with specific thresholds (e.g., "low sodium" = ≤ 120mg per 100g)¹. Exact thresholds are detailed in the full text¹.

3. Compliance Deadlines and Enforcement

• Effective Date: 1 July 2024¹.
• Authority: The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) of Taipei, Chinese, is responsible for enforcement¹.
• Penalties: Non-compliance may result in fines or product recalls under the Food Safety Act (not detailed in the provided sources).

4. Summary Table of Key Requirements

Summary Answer

The Regulations on Nutrition Labeling for Prepackaged Food Products were amended to standardize nutrition labeling for milk, bread, and instant noodles in Taipei, Chinese. Key changes include:

1. Mandatory labeling of calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, and sodium per serving and per 100g/ml, with revised units for amino acids^{1, 2}.
2. Strict conditions for "0" labeling (e.g., < 0.5g per serving for macronutrients) and alignment of serving size units with per-100g/ml values^{1, 2}.
3. Data formatting rules for rounding numerical values¹.
4. Compliance deadline: 1 July 2024, enforced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare¹.

For full details, refer to the official texts^{1, 2}.

Sources

1. ↩ Amendments on partial articles of "Regulations on Nutrition Labeling for Prepackaged Food Products" _notification https://docs.wto.org/imrd/directdoc.asp?DDFDocuments/T/G/TBTN21/TPKM458A2.docx
2. ↩ Draft amendments on partial articles of "Regulations on Nutrition Labeling for Prepackaged Food Products" _notification https://docs.wto.org/imrd/directdoc.asp?DDFDocuments/T/G/TBTN21/TPKM458A1.DOCX