On August 17, 2021, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issued an amendment to the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods that replaces the “sell-by date” label with “use-by date*” from 2023.
(*) Use-by date: The period determined to be safe for consumption if the consumer complies with the storage instructions provided on a food label.
The sell-by date is a period between a product’s manufacturing date and the date that is allowed to be sold to consumers. Although the product may be consumed for a certain period of time even after the lapse of the sell-by date, consumers often discard products after its expiration, incurring a huge disposal cost.
Many countries, including the European Union (EU), have already started using the use-by date labeling system, and CODEX has recommended such labeling system as well. The domestic food industry as well has continuously asked to introduce the use-by date labeling system based on the developments in food manufacturing technology and advancement of refrigerated distribution system.
As a result, the government has introduced a use-by date labeling system to avoid confusing consumers, reduce food waste and keep with the international trends.
Use-by date labeling system will be implemented from January 1, 2023 to allow the industry the necessary time to prepare (domestic products are labeled based on manufacturing date, and imported foods are labeled based on shipment date). However, for some items, such as milk, which are likely to deteriorate during the distribution process, a grace period of eight years has been given to allow the industry the time to improve the distribution environment, such as distribution standards for refrigerated food items. Accordingly, domestic manufactures and importers have to change the artwork and label of the product during the grace period, and, if necessary, may take measures to extend the current sell-by date period of the product to meet the use-by date period.
If you have any questions regarding the aforementioned use-by date labeling policy, please contact us.
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