Labeling requirements for food imported into Russia

If you are a foreign entrepreneur and planning to import alimentary products into Russia, this article may help you figure out what is to be written on a label for your products.

The Eurasian Customs Union (CU) technical regulations (TRs) govern what information such a label must and may carry.

A LABEL FOR A PACKAGED FOOD PRODUCT MUST CONTAIN THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

☑ name;
☑ ingredients list;
☑ quantity;
☑ manufacture date;
☑ shelf life;
☑ storage instructions, which are established by the producer or provided for by CU TRs for certain types of food. For food products, the quality and safety of which changes after a consumer opens the package, the storage instructions after opening must also be indicated;
☑ food manufacturer’s name and location, as well as importer’s name and location;
☑ recommendations and (or) restrictions on the use, including cooking if its use without these recommendations and restrictions is difficult, or may cause harm to health or property, or will spoil its taste;
☑ nutrition information about the food;
☑ information on components of genetically modified organisms;
☑ Unified Eurasian Conformity mark.
○ Note that a label must be in Russian.
○ It may also contain any additional information, for example the document under which the food was produced and can be identified, invented name, trademark, voluntary certification systems marks, etc.

LABELING OF FOOD PLACED IN AN OVERPACK

Requirements for such a label is similar to that for consumer packages. One should as well indicate:

☑ name;
☑ quantity;
☑ manufacture date;
☑ shelf life;
☑ product manufacturer’s name and location (the importer’s data are optional);
☑ In addition, CU TRs require to mention information allowing to identify a batch of food products (for example, batch number) on an overpack label.

○ If the consumer package label can be seen through the overpack, an overpack label may be not applied.

○ It also must be in Russian and may contain information the producer felt the need to place.

There may be special requirements for labeling some certain types of alimentary products. Find out more about meat, seafood and fish,as well as about alcohol and dairy products.



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