Compliant Always
Get in touch

Selling food in Mexico

In Mexico, food falls under the General Health Law and COFEPRIS sanitary control. Prepackaged food is labelled to NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010, in Spanish, with black octagonal warning seals where a product exceeds the nutrient profiles. PROFECO and COFEPRIS check labels; COFEPRIS controls imports and can sample them.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Main label rule
NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010, as modified on 27 March 2020
Who enforces
PROFECO and COFEPRIS, each within its remit
Label language
Spanish; other languages may be added
Front of pack
"EXCESO" seals and caffeine or sweetener legends
Seal profiles
Second phase runs to 31 December 2027; third phase from 1 January 2028
Hygiene
NOM-251-SSA1-2009, including a recall plan

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Is it covered by NOM-051, or by a product-specific NOM? Read more
  2. 2What has to be on the label, in Spanish? Read more
  3. 3Does it need front-of-pack seals or legends, and does that limit its claims and artwork? Read more
  4. 4Are the allergens declared in the required way? Read more
  5. 5Are the additives on the list, and is it made under the hygiene NOM? Read more
  6. 6How does it come into Mexico, and who answers for it there? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Advertising permit

Advertising food and non-alcoholic drinks needs a COFEPRIS permit.

  • Advertising of health-regulated products is governed by the Regulation of the General Health Law on Advertising (Reglamento de la Ley General de Salud en Materia de Publicidad), under articles 300 and 301 of the General Health Law.
  • COFEPRIS lists food and non-alcoholic drinks among the products whose advertising needs an advertising permit (Permiso de Publicidad, COFEPRIS-02-001).
  • The permit is filed in person on form FF-COFEPRIS-13, carries a fee under article 195 of the Federal Law of Duties, and COFEPRIS answers within seven working days.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the advertising permit with the campaign and product it covers, dated, and sets the advertising copy beside it. Ask about this

Labelling under NOM-051

The commercial and sanitary information on prepackaged food and non-alcoholic drinks sold to consumers in Mexico.

  • NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010 (Especificaciones generales de etiquetado para alimentos y bebidas no alcohólicas preenvasados) applies to prepackaged food and non-alcoholic drinks of national and foreign manufacture sold to consumers in Mexico. It does not apply to products covered by a specific NOM that excludes it, to bulk products or to food packed at the point of sale.
  • Mandatory particulars include the name, the list of ingredients, net content, the name and tax address of the party responsible, country of origin, lot identification, a use-by or best-before date, and the nutrition declaration.
  • For imported products, the responsible party's name and tax address may be added in Mexico after customs clearance and before sale.
  • The mandatory information appears in Spanish; it may also be given in other languages, but then must also appear in Spanish (4.8.1).
  • Energy is declared in kcal (kJ) per 100 g or 100 mL and for the whole pack; the nutrition declaration is printed at least 1.5 mm high, with energy, saturated fat, added sugars, trans fat and sodium in bold.
  • Added sugars are grouped under the words "azúcares añadidos" in the ingredients list.

How we help: Compliant Always sets each particular of NOM-051 beside what your label shows, with the clause for each, so a missing lot code or an untranslated line is visible before PROFECO sees it. Ask about this

Front-of-pack warning labelling

The seals and legends that show when a product exceeds limits for energy, sugars, saturated fat, trans fat or sodium, and what they rule out on the pack.

  • Article 212 of the General Health Law (Ley General de Salud) requires front-of-pack warning labelling, separate from the ingredients and nutrition information, for products that exceed the limits for energy, added sugars, saturated fat, sodium and other critical nutrients.
  • Products with added free sugars, fats or sodium that meet the profiles in Table 6 carry the seals "EXCESO CALORÍAS", "EXCESO AZÚCARES", "EXCESO GRASAS SATURADAS", "EXCESO GRASAS TRANS" and "EXCESO SODIO", in that order, at the top right of the principal display panel.
  • If the ingredients include sweeteners, the label carries "CONTIENE EDULCORANTES, NO RECOMENDABLE EN NIÑOS"; with added caffeine in any amount, "CONTIENE CAFEÍNA EVITAR EN NIÑOS" (7.1.3 and 7.1.4).
  • A product with a seal or the sweetener legend may not use characters, cartoons, celebrities, athletes, pets, games or digital downloads aimed at children (4.1.5), may make no health claims, and may make no nutrition claim tied to the nutrient in its seal (6.3).
  • Packs with a principal display panel of 40 cm² or less carry one seal showing the number of nutrients that exceed the profile.
  • The Agreement of 31 July 2025 extends the second phase of the profiles to 31 December 2027; from 1 January 2028 the third phase applies section 4.5.3 and Table 6 in full.

How we help: Upload a specification or lab report and Compliant Always works through the profile for the phase in force, and shows which seals and legends the pack needs and which claims and artwork they rule out. Ask about this

Allergens, additives and hygiene

What has to be declared, what may go into the product, and the hygiene rules for the businesses that make it.

  • Cereals containing gluten, eggs, crustaceans, fish, molluscs, peanuts, soy, milk (including lactose), tree nuts and sulphite at 10 mg/kg or more are always declared, with listed exceptions such as fully refined soy oil.
  • Allergens are declared at the end of the ingredients list, in bold no smaller than the ingredients, under the word "Contiene"; possible cross-contact is declared as "Puede contener".
  • Additives are declared by the common name or a synonym set in the Agreement on additives and processing aids (Acuerdo por el que se determinan los aditivos y coadyuvantes en alimentos, bebidas y suplementos alimenticios); caffeine is always declared specifically.
  • NOM-251-SSA1-2009 sets minimum good hygiene practices for businesses that process food, drinks or supplements for consumers in Mexico.

How we help: Compliant Always reads your recipe and specifications against the allergen list and the additives Agreement, and keeps the evidence for each ingredient with the product and lot. Ask about this

Import and sanitary control

How food comes into Mexico, and who checks it.

  • Sanitary control under Article 194 covers the processing, import and export of food and non-alcoholic drinks; COFEPRIS exercises it for the Secretaría de Salud (Article 17 Bis).
  • The importer must be domiciled in Mexico (Article 285). The Secretary of Health determines, by an agreement in the DOF, which products need a prior import authorisation (Article 286).
  • Products without that requirement are imported on the documents set by regulation, including a sanitary certificate from the country of origin where applicable, with notice of their arrival and destination; COFEPRIS may sample them at random (Article 286 Bis).
  • Products entering Mexico for the first time are sampled and analysed in accredited laboratories before entry (Article 286 Bis).
  • Products subject to a NOM must also meet it when imported, and the authorities decide which must show conformity at the point of entry (Article 64, Quality Infrastructure Law).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the certificates and permits a shipment needs with the product, and shows what expires before the next one leaves. Ask about this

Recalls and enforcement

What happens when food is unsafe or its information is wrong.

  • NOM-251-SSA1-2009 requires a plan to withdraw from the market any identified lot that is a hazard to health, and a record of each withdrawal with the date, cause, product, lot, first-level distribution and quantity recovered.
  • PROFECO may immobilise products, suspend their sale, order withdrawal where a competent authority has found a risk to life or health, issue consumer alerts and order recalls (Article 25 Bis, Federal Consumer Protection Law).
  • Verification of NOM-051 is carried out by PROFECO, COFEPRIS and the other competent authorities, each within its remit (section 8).

How we help: Compliant Always ties each document to the lot and supplier it came from, so the record a withdrawal needs is already in one place. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
BrandThe label, the seals and legends, and the claims made for the product.The label checked against NOM-051, with the paperwork behind it in one place.
ManufacturerHygiene under NOM-251, what goes into the product, and the lot coding that traces it.Specifications, lab reports and certificates kept by product and lot, ready for a customer's form.
ImporterBeing domiciled in Mexico, the import documents, and its name and tax address on the label.Supplier documents read and dated before the goods arrive.
RetailerSelling products whose Spanish information meets the NOMs.The documents for each product, ready when a buyer or inspector asks.

Federal rules and the states

Product rules in Mexico are federal: the General Health Law, the Federal Consumer Protection Law and the Normas Oficiales Mexicanas apply across the national territory.

Health surveillance is shared. Under the General Health Law, a notice of operation (aviso de funcionamiento) goes to the Secretaría de Salud or to the government of the state (entidad federativa), and several sanitary NOMs are enforced by COFEPRIS and the state governments together.

Questions businesses ask

Which NOM sets food labelling in Mexico?
NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010, for prepackaged food and non-alcoholic drinks, as modified in the DOF on 27 March 2020. Some products have their own NOMs that set their labelling instead.
Do food labels in Mexico have to be in Spanish?
Yes. The mandatory information appears in Spanish. It may also appear in other languages, but where it does, it must appear in Spanish as well (NOM-051, 4.8.1).
What are the black warning seals on Mexican food packs?
Front-of-pack seals that read "EXCESO CALORÍAS", "EXCESO AZÚCARES", "EXCESO GRASAS SATURADAS", "EXCESO GRASAS TRANS" or "EXCESO SODIO", required where a product with added sugars, fats or sodium meets the nutrient profiles in NOM-051.
When does the third phase of NOM-051 apply?
From 1 January 2028. An Agreement published in the DOF on 31 July 2025 extended the second phase to 31 December 2027.
Can a product with warning seals use cartoon characters?
No. A product with a seal or the sweetener legend may not use characters, cartoons, celebrities, athletes, pets, games or downloads aimed at children to promote it (NOM-051, 4.1.5).
How must allergens be declared on a Mexican label?
At the end of the ingredients list, in bold no smaller than the ingredients, after the word "Contiene". Possible cross-contact is declared with "Puede contener".
What legend is needed if a food contains sweeteners or caffeine?
"CONTIENE EDULCORANTES, NO RECOMENDABLE EN NIÑOS" where the ingredients include sweeteners, and "CONTIENE CAFEÍNA EVITAR EN NIÑOS" where caffeine has been added in any amount.
Does an importer of food into Mexico need to be based there?
Yes. The General Health Law requires the importer of products under sanitary control to be domiciled in Mexico (Article 285).
Does food need an import permit from COFEPRIS?
Only products named by the Secretary of Health in an agreement in the DOF. Others are imported on the documents set by regulation, with notice to the authority, and may be sampled (Articles 286 and 286 Bis).
Who checks food labels in Mexico?
PROFECO, COFEPRIS and the other competent authorities, each within its remit, under section 8 of NOM-051.
Does a food business need a recall plan in Mexico?
Yes. NOM-251-SSA1-2009 requires a plan to withdraw any identified lot that is a hazard to health, and a record of each withdrawal.
Do I need permission to advertise food in Mexico?
COFEPRIS lists food and non-alcoholic drinks among the products whose advertising needs an advertising permit (COFEPRIS-02-001). It is filed in person on form FF-COFEPRIS-13, carries a fee, and COFEPRIS answers within seven working days.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in Mexico?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, including the Normas Oficiales Mexicanas and COFEPRIS requirements. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product, keeps the documents behind each one ready, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in Mexico and what your paperwork needs to show.

Get in touch

No card, no account, and no call to book. Tell us what you make and where you sell it, and we will come back to you.

Get in touch