4. Labeling Requirements

General Foods
Uzbekistan

This section provides information on labeling requirements and the label approval process.

4.1 Mandatory Labeling Parameters

A. Prepackaged [1]

All packaged food must be labeled with the following information:

1. Product name
2. Product composition (ingredients)
3. Country of manufacture (name of place of origin of food products), name and location of the manufacturer (producer), name and location of the importing organization into the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as, if available, name and location of the person authorized by the manufacturer (producer).
4. Product quantity
5. Date of manufacture (production date)
6. Durability period or expiry date. If applicable, the durability period after opening the packaging must be indicated as well.
7. Storage conditions, including (if applicable) storage conditions after opening the packaging.
8. User instructions and restrictions (if applicable) if the absence of this information can cause harm to the consumer or their property or deprive the product of its consumer properties.
9. Nutritional values. It is mandatory to indicate: energy values, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. For products enriched with vitamins, it is mandatory to declare the vitamin quantity.
10. Intended use (only for special children’s food and dietary food).
11. For bakery products, the salt content must be indicated.

Transport packaging for all products must include the following:

1. Name of the product
2. Quantity and weight of products
3. Date of manufacture
4. Shelf-life/durability period
5. Storage conditions
6. Information allowing to identify a batch of food products (for example, the batch number)
7. Country of production (name of place of origin of food products), name and location of the manufacturer (producer)

The labeling of food that contains sugar alcohol sweeteners must contain, immediately after indicating the composition of the food product, the inscription “Contains sweetener(s). If consumed in excess, may (may) have a laxative effect.” [1]

The following components (allergens) must be indicated on the label regardless of their quantity [1]:

1. Peanuts and products of their processing
2. Aspartame and aspartame-acesulfame salt
3. Mustard and its processed products
4. Sulfur dioxide and sulfites, if their total content is more than 10 milligrams per kilogram or 10 milligrams per liter in terms of sulfur dioxide
5. Cereals containing gluten and their processed products
6. Sesame and products of its processing
7. Lupine and products of its processing
8. Shellfish and products of their processing
9. Milk and products of its processing (including lactose)
10. Nuts and products of their processing
11. Crustaceans and products of their processing
12. Fish and products of its processing (except for fish gelatin used as a base in preparations containing vitamins and carotenoids)
13. Celery and products of its processing
14. Soybeans and products of its processing
15. Eggs and products of their processing

The information about the allergenic properties of components is not required to be indicated on the label, with the exception of information about aspartame and aspartame-acesulfame salt. If aspartame or aspartame-acesulfame salt is used in a product, then the text “Contains a source of phenylalanine” must be placed immediately after the list of ingredients. [1]

For food products containing dyes (azorubine E122, quinoline yellow E104, sunset yellow FCF E110, charming red AC E129, ponceau 4R E124 and tartrazine E102), a warning label must be applied: “Contains dye(s) that may have a negative impact on children's activity and attention span." [1]

If transport packaging contains products without consumer packaging, and these products are to be intended by the manufacturer (manufacturer) for further packaging (sweets, granulated sugar, and other food), the marking of the transport package into which such products are placed must comply with the requirements applicable to prepackaged products. 

B. NOT prepackaged

When any products are packaged by retail organizations in the absence of the consumer, the name of the product, the date of its manufacture, its expiration date, and storage conditions must be indicated on the consumer packaging or on the label attached to it. [1]

Other mandatory information required to be placed on the packaging label must be communicated to the consumer in any way that provides the possibility of an informed choice of this product (including by applying it to the consumer packaging and (or) label, and (or) to the package insert placed in each packaged unit or included with each packaged product). [1]

The information required to be placed on a food label, for food products placed directly in transport packaging, as well as food products, the packaging of which is carried out by retail trade organizations in the presence of the consumer, must be communicated to the consumer in any way that ensures the possibility of an informed choice of these products. [1]

4.2 Languages

It is required to label all food products in Uzbek language (Latin characters). It is allowed to duplicate the information on the label in other languages [1].

4.3 Mandatory Information on Stickers

It is acceptable to capture mandatory labeling information on stickers.

4.4 Product Legal Name

The product name must be placed on the label [1].

4.5 Product-specific Labeling Statements

Please refer to Section 4.5 of product-specific guidebooks for product-specific requirements.

4.6 Authority Approval

Not required but can be reviewed during the conformity assessment process. Please refer to Section 6 of this guidebook on “Registration Processes”.

4.7 Additional Notes on Labeling

GMO labeling

Products containing GMOs must be labeled with this information.

Currently, clear requirements for GMO labeling are planned by the Government of Uzbekistan [2] but none are actually defined in legislation [3].

Irradiated food/ingredients

If a product has been treated by radiation, this must be indicated on the product label. [1]

Voluntary information

Voluntary information about a product can be provided in addition to the mandatory information. Voluntary information can be placed on consumer and/or transport packaging. [1]

The use of terms “dietary”, “medicinal”, “preventive”, “children’s”, “sports”, “probiotic”, environmentally friendly (organic), or equivalent terms in the names of food products or in the information placed on consumer packaging and in advertising leaflets - inserts to the product is only allowed if the presence of such properties has been proven by evidence. [4]

Labeling of Organic food 

Manufacturers of organic products have the right to use the national mark of conformity for organic products.

Manufacturers of organic products can place the following information on these products’ labels [4,5]:

• the words “organic” (organic), “biologic” (biological), “ecologic” (ecological), and “natural” (natural), and also their abbreviations or words derived from these words can be used, alone or in combination with the name of organic products; 
• the registration number of the certificate of accreditation of the conformity assessment body that issued the certificate of organic conformity, provided for in the State Register of Conformity Assessment Bodies, is indicated.

Labeling relating to recycling

No recycling information is mandatory for the products themselves.

Recycling information is only mandatory for food contact packaging. The following information must be provided: the alphanumerical code(s) of the packaging materials and the food contact symbol. [6]

Labeling of Halal, Kosher, Vegan

Any Halal, Kosher, or Vegan labeling can only be done if there is a certificate of conformity to any of these standards.

Halal certification is to be exercised via the state standardization body “Uzstandart” (www.Standart.uz). A Halal certificate is valid for one year and must be renewed after the expiration of this period.

4.8 References

1. Technical Regulation on Food Labelling adopted by Decree No. 490 of 7 July 2017

https://lex.uz/docs/3266172

2. Presidential Decree No. PP-4899 of 25 November 2020 on Complex Measures for the Development of Biotechnology and Improvement of BioSafety

https://lex.uz/ru/docs/5123684

3. Requirements for the Safety of Food Containing Genetically Modified Sources, dated 18 July 2005 No. 0185-05

https://lex.uz/docs/1907294

4. Hygienic Norms for Food Safety, 0366-19

https://gov.uz/ssv/

5. Law of Uzbekistan No. ZRU-766 of 25 April 2022 on Organic Products

https://lex.uz/ru/docs/5980349?query=пищевых%20добавок#sr-1

6. Decree No. 476 of 7 July 2017 on the adoption of Technical Regulation on the Safety of Food Contact Packaging

https://lex.uz/docs/3263615