GB 7718-2025 Food Name Compliance: Five Key Labeling Rules for Prepackaged Foods

China's National Food Safety Standard General Rules for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods (GB 7718-2025) is scheduled to take effect on March 16, 2027, with the Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Food Labeling (Order No. 100 of the State Administration for Market Regulation) taking effect at the same time. A food name is the first cue consumers use to identify a product and a priority item in label compliance checks. Based on the new standard and regulation, Foodmate has reviewed the labeling requirements for food names on prepackaged food labels for industry reference.

1. Label a name that reflects the food's true attributes

Under GB 7718-2025, a name that reflects the food's true attributes must appear in a prominent position on the label. An attribute name is a dedicated term that conveys the food's inherent characteristics, either without further explanation or with those characteristics already stated. It may describe one or more food-specific features, such as ingredients or food characteristics, processing methods, and food category.

Where a national standard, industry standard, local standard, rule issued by a relevant State Council department, or announcement on food naming has specified or adopted one or more names for a food, one of those names—or a name essentially the same as them—must be used as the attribute name.

If no such standard, rule, or announcement provides or uses a name, the attribute name must be clear enough to fully explain the food's true attributes and must not cause consumer misunderstanding or confusion.

Note: food names set out in enterprise standards and group standards are not directly treated as the basis for attribute names. A name that is essentially the same as a standard name must still be easy to understand and non-misleading. For example, hazelnut chocolate may be called hazelnut kernel chocolate, and 奶酪 may be called 干酪 (both meaning cheese).

1. Font size, color differences, and layout must not obscure food attributes

The basic requirements of GB 7718-2025 state that food labels must be truthful and accurate. Font size, color contrast, layout design, and similar techniques must not be used to mislead consumers into confusing a food, or a property of a food, with another product. The key test is whether consumers would be confused about the food's attributes.

For instance, in orange juice beverage, the words orange juice are noticeably larger than beverage, weakening the food category through font size; in flavored fermented milk, flavored is smaller than fermented milk; and in cocoa butter substitute chocolate, cocoa butter substitute is smaller than chocolate. All are non-compliant under the standard.

Note: Article 16 of the Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Food Labeling also states that prepackaged food labels must bear a name reflecting the food's true attributes and must not deceive or mislead consumers.

1. Requirements when newly created names and similar names appear with the attribute name

On the same display panel as the food attribute name, a food may also carry a newly created name, peculiar name, transliterated name, regional slang name, trademark name, or similar. If such a name contains wording that could mislead consumers or confuse the food's attributes, it must appear near the attribute name on the same display panel, with a character height no greater than that of the attribute name and the same font and color.

Note: if foreign languages, pinyin, or traditional Chinese characters appear in a food name, their character height must not exceed that of the corresponding standardized simplified Chinese characters.

1. Animal-origin food names must truthfully reflect the raw materials used

To prevent food names from deceiving or misleading consumers, the Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Food Labeling requires food names to reflect true attributes and truthfully indicate the raw materials used. For foods made from animal-origin ingredients, if the name reflects livestock or poultry meat or animal aquatic product ingredients, those ingredients must be the main raw materials. If the name reflects only one such ingredient, all raw materials used must come from that livestock or poultry meat or animal aquatic product. If the name reflects two or more, the ingredients must be listed in descending order of addition amount. For example, meatballs made with both beef and pork must not be named beef balls.

For dumplings, steamed buns, and similar foods, if the name reflects animal-origin ingredients, those ingredients must also appear in descending order of addition amount. Dumplings whose filling uses beef as the only animal-origin ingredient may be called beef dumplings. If a steamed bun filling uses shrimp and pork as animal-origin ingredients and shrimp is added at a higher level than pork, it may be called shrimp and pork steamed buns. Animal-origin ingredients used only for seasoning—such as a small amount of dried shrimp in quick-frozen wontons—may be omitted from the food name.

1. Naming rules for simulated animal-origin foods and foods flavored with essences and spices

Simulated animal-origin foods made from plant-origin ingredients must have names prefixed with terms such as imitation, vegetarian, or a specified plant. If a food does not contain a certain ingredient but uses food essences and spices to create that ingredient's flavor, and the name reflects that flavor, the name must be prefixed with terms such as a certain flavor or a certain flavor profile.

Conclusion

The food name is core information on a prepackaged food label and a frequent trigger for label complaints and reports. As the implementation date of the new rules approaches, Foodmate reminds food production and operation companies to conduct food-name compliance self-checks as early as possible to reduce compliance risk.