Everything a food label must say.

Administrative Order 2014-0030 of the Department of Health sets what has to appear on every prepackaged food sold in the Philippines — jams, snacks, sauces, coffee, drinks, frozen meats. Here is the list in plain words, the wording that trips people up, and the back-label templates in our designer that already carry all of it.

A plain-language summary, checked against the Order's text in September 2026. It is not legal advice: the FDA Center for Food Regulation and Research and the evaluator who reviews your product registration have the last word.

The eleven mandatory items

Section VI.A of the Order lists the minimum information every label must carry. The numbering below is the Order's own.

1. Product name

   Specific, not generic — it says what the food actually is, and its form or treatment when that matters: Dried Mangoes Spanish Sardines in Corn Oil Chili Garlic Oil. A fanciful name is allowed only next to a real one. It goes on the front, in bold, at a size that relates to the biggest thing printed there (usually your brand).

2. Brand name or trademark

   If you have registered one you must show it, placed with the product name. It may not copy a brand already registered with FDA in the same product class.

3. Complete list of ingredients

   Headed Ingredients, in descending order of proportion. Added water is declared. A compound ingredient lists its own parts in brackets. Flavours are declared as Natural flavor, Nature-identical flavor or Artificial flavor; colours by name or as Food color / Artificial color; additives by their common name and function, e.g. sodium benzoate (preservative).

4. Net contents, and drained weight

   Metric units only, parallel to the base of the pack: liquids by volume, solids by weight (or count when sold by number). Food packed in a liquid you pour away — brine, syrup, juice, vinegar — also states the drained weight. A multi-pack reads 20 × 10 g sachets (net wt. 200 g).

5. Name and full address of the maker

   Manufacturer, repacker, packer, importer, trader or distributor — whichever applies — with a complete address, not a P.O. box. If someone else makes it for you, say so: Manufactured for or Packed for. Imported food adds the importer and the country of origin.

6. Lot identification

   A code printed or embossed permanently on each immediate package, so a batch can be traced and recalled. Its format is yours to choose.

7. Storage condition

   Required whenever the food needs anything other than room temperature: Refrigerate after opening Keep frozen Store in a cool, dry place.

8. Expiry, use-by or consume-before date

   Day, month, year — in that order — with the day and year in numerals and the month in words, so no one confuses 01/09 with 09/01. The Order's own examples: Expiry date: 01 January 2012 01Jan12. Alcoholic beverages are exempt.

   The Order's terms are Expiry date, Expiration date, Use-by date and Consume before date. "Best before" is common on shelves; if you prefer it, confirm with your evaluator. Our templates use "Expiry date".

9. Food allergen information

   Directly below the ingredients: Contains: milk, egg, or Allergen information: may contain peanuts, or Manufactured in equipment that processes wheat. Always declared: cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt), crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts and soybeans, milk (lactose included), tree nuts, and sulphites at 10 mg/kg or more.

10. Directions for use

    Where they matter for using the food correctly: Shake well Dilute 1 part to 3 parts water Cook thoroughly before eating.

11. Nutrition Facts

    In the tabulated form of the Order's Figure 1, per serving, with a % RENI column computed for the FNRI reference adult aged 19–29 (or the group the food is for, stated on the label). Nutrients under 2 % RENI may be marked < 2 % RENI. The values must come from analysis of your actual product and stay within tolerance through the shelf life: energy, fat and carbohydrates 80–120 % of what is declared; protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals at least 80 %.

Where each thing goes

What you may not say

Section VII lists the representations FDA treats as misleading. The ones small brands run into:

• Health claims. That the food prevents, treats, cures or mitigates any disease or symptom, or that a normal diet cannot supply the nutrients. Nutrition and health claims that are allowed follow the FDA and Codex guidelines and need substantiation.
• Empty words. "Wholesome", "healthful", "sound"; superlatives and comparisons you cannot prove; "the best in Bicol".
• Absence claims. "No pork", "no lard", "no alcohol" when the food never contains them anyway; "no preservatives" when none is permitted in that food; highlighting an additive you added if it is not allowed.
• Unsupported seals. Halal, kosher and organic declarations must be backed by the certification behind them.

Before you print

• Product name is specific and bold on the front, with the brand
• Ingredients in descending order, additives named with their function
• Allergen line sits directly under the ingredients
• Net weight or volume in metric, plus drained weight if packed in liquid
• Full address of the maker, with "Manufactured for" if it is not you
• Lot code planned — printed, embossed or stamped on each pack
• Expiry date written day–month-in-words–year
• Storage condition stated if anything but room temperature
• Nutrition Facts from a laboratory analysis, % RENI column, footnote
• Photos match the ingredients; no health or absence claims
• Sweetened beverages state the sweetener type in the ingredients (the 2018 addendum under the TRAIN law)
• All mandatory type stays inside the safety margin — the designer warns you if it does not

Soap, serums, sunscreen and shampoo follow a different rule book.

Cosmetics are notified to FDA rather than registered (you receive a Certificate of Product Notification), and their labels follow the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive, which the Philippines adopted. Nine things must appear:

1. Name of the product and what it does

   Gugo & Aloe Shampoo — cleanses and strengthens. The function may be left out only when the presentation makes it obvious.

2. Instructions for use

   Unless they are obvious from the product.

3. Full ingredient list

   INCI names, in descending order of weight as added; ingredients under 1 % may follow in any order; colourants by their CI number; perfume as Parfum or Fragrance.

4. Country of manufacture

   Made in the Philippines

5. Name and address of the company responsible

   The one placing the product on the Philippine market — the brand owner or its distributor.

6. Contents

   Weight or volume in metric units.

7. Batch number

   The manufacturer's own code.

8. Manufacturing date or expiry date

   In clear terms (month and year is enough). An expiry date is compulsory when the product keeps for less than 30 months.

9. Special precautions

   The warnings the ingredients call for: For external use only Avoid contact with eyes Discontinue if irritation occurs; sunscreens add reapplication and exposure advice.

Sunscreen — back label 45 × 70 mm · Skincare Serum — back label 50 × 75 mm · Skincare Shampoo — back label 70 × 100 mm · Hair & body

Sources

Department of Health, Administrative Order No. 2014-0030, Revised Rules and Regulations Governing the Labeling of Prepackaged Food Products (8 September 2014) — sections V, VI, VII and VIII are summarised above.
Department of Health, Administrative Order No. 2014-0030-A (2018) — addendum on sweetened beverages under the TRAIN law: the sweetener type in the ingredients and, for powders, the volume each serving makes.
Food and Drug Administration Philippines — product registration (food) and notification (cosmetics), verification portal.
ASEAN Cosmetic Directive, Article 6 and its labelling annex, as summarised for the Philippines by ChemLinked.