Ukraine Updates Fruit Jams and Purées Requirements

Ukraine has notified the adoption of updated requirements for fruit jams, jellies, marmalades, and sweetened chestnut purée, effective on 26 November 2026

Updated Requirements for Fruit Jams, Jellies, Marmalades, and Sweetened Chestnut Purée in Ukraine (Effective 26 November 2026)

Ukraine has adopted revised regulatory requirements for fruit jams, jellies, marmalades, and sweetened chestnut purée, as outlined in the Requirements for Fruit Jams, Jellies, Marmalades, and Sweetened Chestnut Purée (hereinafter "the Requirements") approved by Order No. 391 of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine dated 14 February 2024, as amended by Order No. 4440 of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine dated 27 March 2026¹. The updated Requirements establish specific definitions, compositional standards, permitted ingredients, and labeling rules for these products.

1. Definitions and Product Scope

The Requirements define the following key terms and product categories:

• Fruit: Includes fresh, undamaged, and sufficiently ripe produce. For the purposes of these Requirements, the following are considered fruits: tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, melons, watermelons, edible rhubarb stems, and edible ginger root (fresh, dried, or preserved in syrup)¹.
• Fruit pulp: The edible part of whole fruits, cleaned of skins, seeds, pits, etc., obtained by crushing or grinding but not reduced to purée. For citrus fruits, pulp refers to juice sacs from the endocarp¹.
• Fruit purée: The edible part of whole fruits, cleaned of skins, seeds, pits, etc., obtained by sieving or similar physical processes¹.
• Sweetened chestnut purée: A food product obtained by bringing to the appropriate consistency a mixture of drinking water, sugar, and at least 380 g of chestnut (Castanea sativa) purée per 1,000 g of the finished product¹.
• Jam: A product obtained by bringing to a jelly-like consistency a mixture of sugars, drinking water, and pulp and/or purée of one or more types of fruit¹.
• Extra jam: A product obtained by bringing to a jelly-like consistency a mixture of sugars, drinking water, and unconcentrated pulp of one or more types of fruit. For certain fruits (e.g., rosehip, raspberry, blackcurrant), extra jam may be made partially or entirely from unconcentrated purée¹.
• Jelly: A product obtained by thickening a mixture of sugars and juice and/or aqueous extracts of one or more types of fruit¹.
• Extra jelly: A product obtained by thickening a mixture of sugars and juice and/or aqueous extracts of one or more types of fruit, with fruit content requirements equivalent to those for extra jam¹.
• Citrus marmalade: A product obtained by bringing to a jelly-like consistency one or more types of citrus fruits with the addition of sugars and water. The name may specify the citrus fruit used (e.g., "orange marmalade"). The product must contain at least 200 g of citrus fruit per 1,000 g of finished product, of which at least 75 g must come from the endocarp¹.
• Jelly marmalade: A citrus marmalade that does not contain insoluble dry matter except for a small amount of thinly sliced peel¹.

2. Compositional Requirements

2.1 Minimum Fruit Content

The Requirements specify minimum fruit content (per 1,000 g of finished product) for jams, extra jams, jellies, and extra jellies, as follows:

For products made from mixtures of fruits, the minimum fruit content is reduced proportionally based on the percentage of each fruit used¹.

2.2 Soluble Solids Content

Products covered by the Requirements (except those with low-sugar claims or where sugar is fully or partially replaced by sweeteners) must contain at least 60% soluble solids, as measured by refractometer¹.

3. Permitted Ingredients

The Requirements limit the ingredients that may be used in the production of jams, jellies, marmalades, and sweetened chestnut purée to the following:

• Sugars: Defined in accordance with the Requirements for Types of Sugars Intended for Human Consumption (Order No. 592 of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine dated 2 November 2017). Includes white sugar, brown sugar, fructose syrup, and sugars extracted from fruits (fruit sugars)¹.
• Honey: May be used as a full or partial substitute for sugars, as defined in the Requirements for Honey (Order No. 330 of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine dated 19 June 2019)¹.
• Fruit-derived ingredients: Fruit pulp, fruit purée, fruit juice, concentrated fruit juice, and aqueous fruit extracts¹.
• Citrus-specific ingredients: Citrus fruit juice, concentrated citrus juice, citrus peel (including peel preserved in brine), and citrus essential oils (only for citrus marmalade and jelly marmalade)¹.
• Other permitted ingredients:
  • Edible oils and fats (as defoaming agents)¹.
  • Liquid pectin¹.
  • Ethyl alcohol, brandy, fruit spirits, alcoholic beverages, and wine products¹.
  • Nuts¹.
  • Aromatic herbs and spices¹.
  • Vanilla, vanilla extract, and vanillin¹.
  • Food additives compliant with the Requirements for Food Additives (Order No. 45 of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine dated 8 January 2024)¹.
  • Leaves of Pelargonium odoratissimum (only for jams, extra jams, jellies, and extra jellies made from quince)¹.
  • Beetroot juice or concentrated beetroot juice (only for jams and jellies made from strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, redcurrants, and plums)¹.
  • Red fruit juices or concentrated red fruit juices (only for jams and extra jams made from rosehip, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, redcurrants, plums, and rhubarb)¹.

4. Processing and Treatment of Raw Materials

The Requirements permit the following treatments for fruits, fruit pulp, purée, and aqueous extracts used in production:

• Heating, cooling, or freezing¹.
• Freeze-drying (lyophilization)¹.
• Concentration to a technically feasible state¹.
• Other drying processes (for apricots and plums used in jam production)¹.
• Preservation of citrus peel in brine¹.

5. Labeling Requirements

5.1 Product Naming

• The name of the product must include the name(s) of the fruit(s) used, listed in descending order of their mass fraction¹.
• For products made from three or more types of fruit, the names may be replaced with "fruit mixture" or a statement of the number of fruits used (e.g., "made from 5 fruits")¹.
• The terms "jam" and "extra jam" may be replaced with "marmalade" and "extra marmalade," respectively, except for products made from citrus fruits¹.

5.2 Fruit Content Declaration

• The label must state the fruit content in the format: "Made from g of fruit per 100 g", where is the amount of fruit used per 100 g of product, excluding the mass of drinking water used for aqueous extracts¹.
• This information must be clear, legible, and placed in the same field of vision as the product name¹.

6. Transitional Provisions and Effective Date

• The updated Requirements enter into force six months after their official publication, i.e., on 26 November 2026¹.
• Products manufactured and/or placed on the market before this date may continue to be produced and/or circulated for three years from the effective date¹.

Regulation Analysis

Summary Answer

Ukraine’s updated Requirements for Fruit Jams, Jellies, Marmalades, and Sweetened Chestnut Purée, effective 26 November 2026, establish strict compositional and labeling standards for these products. Key provisions include minimum fruit content (e.g., 380 g of chestnut purée per 1,000 g of sweetened chestnut purée¹), a soluble solids threshold of 60%¹, and permitted ingredients such as sugars, honey, and specific food additives¹. The Requirements also mandate clear labeling of fruit content and product names¹. Products manufactured before the effective date may remain in circulation for up to three years¹. These rules aim to ensure consumer transparency and prevent misleading practices in the market.

Sources

1. ↩ members.wto.org — final measure / 26 02848 00 x https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2026/TBT/UKR/final_measure/26_02848_00_x.pdf