List of food labeling regulations


The packaging and labeling of food is subject to regulation in most regions/jurisdictions, to prevent false advertising and to promote food safety, and increasingly to provide greater information to consumers relating to quality or lifestyle concerns.
The regulation of food labels has evolved alongside the industrialization of food production and the growth of global mass food markets. In many countries, early food laws focused on preventing adulteration and fraud, often by mandating clear product names and ingredient listings. Over time, governments developed more detailed regulatory frameworks to manage food quality and public health through standardized labeling. Scholars have noted that as food systems scaled up and grew more impersonal, regulators across regions—from Europe and North America to East Asia—began using labels to simulate the trust once derived from local, interpersonal food markets. Labels became instruments of “informational governance,” conveying safety, nutritional value, and even moral or environmental claims. This trend reflects a global shift toward transparency in food commerce, often relying on scientific authority and consumer rights to shape regulatory standards.

Regulations by type

Multi-faceted

India

  • Food Safety and Standards Authority of India — the statutory body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, to regulate and supervise food safety in India.

    Thailand

  • Phuket: "Yellow flag" for vegetarian food during ‘ngan kin jeh’ vegetarian festival

    North America

Canada

European Union

  • Regulation No. 834/2007 of 28 June 2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products
  • Regulation No 1169/2011 — on the provision of food information to consumers.
  • Regulation No 1151/2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs: defines "labelling" as "any words, particulars, trade marks, brand name, pictorial matter or symbol relating to a foodstuff and placed on any packaging, document, notice, label, ring or collar accompanying or referring to such foodstuff".

    United Kingdom

  • Assize of Bread and Ale
  • McLibel case
  • The Weights and Measures Regulations 2006

    Oceania

  • Food Standards Australia New Zealand

    New Zealand

  • Food Act 1981

    South America

Chile