News Summary:
On September 8th, my country's National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued the "Announcement on Matters Concerning the Implementation of Digital Labeling for Pre-packaged Foods," officially ushering in a new era of digitalization for pre-packaged food labeling in my country. Digital labels represent information displayed on physical pre-packaged food labels using digital technology or means, making food label information audible, playable, and magnifiable. This announcement builds on the "National Food Safety Standard - General Rules for Pre-packaged Food Labeling" (GB 7718-2025), released in March of this year, and further refines the application requirements for digital labels. It aims to address the challenges of "losing, unclear, and incomprehensible" label information, while also providing businesses with a more flexible and low-cost information display method.
News Content:
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 8th. Title: "Codes" for Information! my country Promotes Digital Labeling to Facilitate Food Safety Supervision
Scanning a QR code reveals food ingredients, production processes, origin traceability, nutritional information, and more at a glance. You can even "listen" to the label and "watch videos"—this is about to become a daily routine for pre-packaged food consumption in my country. On September 8th, the National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued the "Announcement on Matters Concerning the Implementation of Digital Labeling for Pre-packaged Foods," officially ushering in a new era of digitalization for pre-packaged food labeling management in my country.
Digital labels represent information displayed on physical pre-packaged food labels using digital technology or means, making food label information audible, playable, and magnifiable. This announcement builds on the "National Food Safety Standard - General Rules for Pre-packaged Food Labeling" (GB 7718-2025), released in March of this year, and further refines the requirements for digital labeling. It aims to address the issues of "inaccessible, unclear, and incomprehensible" label information, while also providing businesses with a more flexible and low-cost information display method.
Labels Come Alive, Information More Informative – For a long time, limited physical label space has prevented pre-packaged foods from fully displaying detailed information, hindering consumers' access to comprehensive food information.
According to the announcement, information that can be included on pre-packaged food labels, such as ingredient sources, production processes, origin information, directions for consumption, product traceability, food safety, and nutritional information, can now be displayed digitally. Food producers and operators should be responsible for the authenticity and accuracy of displayed content, ensuring that relevant information is objective and scientific and does not mislead consumers.
A representative from the Food Department of the National Health Commission stated that this will facilitate consumers' better understanding of food and further leverage the role of digital labels in supporting comprehensive food safety supervision, communication on food safety and nutritional and health risks, and the display of food information.
Traceable Content, Basis for Supervision -
Although digital labels are convenient, the authenticity and accuracy of their content cannot be overlooked. The announcement clarifies that digital label content must comply with Article 67 of the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China and the mandatory labeling requirements for pre-packaged food labels in national food safety standards.
Additionally, digital label content must not be tampered with. When modifying or updating digital label content, the modified content, modification time, and information about the modifier must be recorded to ensure traceability of the modification process. To ensure a positive consumer experience, the announcement sets out strict guidelines: digital labels must be clear, eye-catching, and easy to read. They must avoid overlapping or cluttering, and must not contain pop-up windows or other distracting elements that affect normal reading. It is encouraged that the digital label's QR code be integrated with other QR codes on the packaging to achieve a unified multi-code system.
In addition, the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center, in collaboration with the China National Center for Article Coding, will design a unique logo for digital labels for food producers to use, making it easier for consumers to identify the digital label's QR code.
Simplifying Labels, Enhancing Environmental Protection and Efficiency
Notably, the announcement also introduces a "burden reduction" measure: Food producers displaying the detailed address of their pre-packaged food on digital labels may simplify the address to the county-level administrative district name and indicate it after the producer's name. For example, if the production address displayed on a pre-packaged food digital label is "XX Avenue, XX Town, XX County, XX City, XX Province," the label may instead indicate "XXX Producer (XX County)." Small changes are expected to provide more information on food labels, reduce the amount of text on pre-packaged food labels, save costs, and help companies reduce carbon emissions and increase efficiency.
The National Health Commission has designated 2025 as the "Year of Digital Food Label Promotion" and is organizing provinces and cities nationwide, as well as relevant food industries, to promote the application of digital labels. It is reported that digital labels will also be integrated with online food sales and smart homes, continuously innovating application scenarios and building a digital food label ecosystem.
1. What is a digital label?
A digital label is a digital carrier for food information displayed on food packaging using digital means such as QR codes. It has the same legal effect as a physical label. It transcends the physical limitations of traditional labels, enabling key information such as ingredient lists and production dates to be zoomable, voice-activated, and explained through video. II. Three Core Advantages of Digital Labels
1. Consumer Perspective
Solve the pain points of poor visibility and incomprehensibility: Supports font enlargement and voice announcements (especially beneficial for the elderly).
Expanded Information Display: Access details such as raw material traceability, production processes, and detailed consumption recommendations that cannot be accommodated on physical labels.
2. Enterprise Value
Reduces printing costs and supports dynamic information updates (such as automatic alerts for near-expiry food).
Multi-code integration enables multiple functions, including food information display, food traceability, and payment, improving enterprise management efficiency.
3. Regulatory Innovation
Fully traceable modification records prevent information tampering. Special foods (such as infant formula) must strictly match registered information.
III. Development Trends of Digital Labels
As of September 2025, companies such as Mengniu, Luhua, PepsiCo, Feihe, Sanyuan, Master Kong, Starbucks, Shuanghui, and Bright Dairy have actively responded to this trend, with digital labels already applied to over a thousand food products across major food categories, including dairy, grains and oils, baked goods, meat products, and beverages. As multi-code integration technology matures, digital labels will become the intelligent portal for food packaging.
Bisheng Packaging keeps up with the development trend and supports OEM and ODM diversified customized services. We look forward to communicating and cooperating with you.
