Food safety ministry moves to widen low-sodium, low-sugar labels to all processed foods

The food and drug safety ministry said it has proposed widening its reduced-sodium and reduced-sugar labeling program to cover all processed foods that can be reformulated, expanding the eligible categories from 21 to 223.

The ministry announced the administrative notice on Nov. 6, opening a public comment period that runs through Nov. 26. Under the current program, products may carry "less" or "reduced" claims only if they fall into one of 21 designated food categories — eight for sodium and 14 for sugars.

The draft revision would allow the labels on any processed food in which sodium or sugar can be lowered.

A product qualifies for the label if its sodium or sugar content is at least 10 percent below the average for its detailed sub-category of products on the market, or at least 25 percent below a similar product from the same manufacturer. To support the wider program, the ministry said it will calculate and publish the sub-category averages itself and will let companies work out the benchmark for foods where no average has been issued.

The ministry introduced the labeling system in 2021 and has since expanded it to the 21 categories in line with demand from the industry and data on the main sources of sodium and sugar in Korean diets. It said the latest revision reflects consumer interest and industry requests to widen the labeling scope.

Foods that are not subject to mandatory nutrition labeling, and those governed by separate manufacturing or processing standards for sodium and sugar, would remain outside the program.