NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010, modification published DOF 27 Mar 2020
For food and beverage brands selling in Mexico working out when front-of-pack warnings apply and what they restrict. This page covers what you need to know and ways to avoid running into issues.
What we've seen reported
NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010, as modified in the Diario Oficial on March 27, 2020, sets Mexico's front-of-pack warning seals and precautionary legends for prepackaged food and non-alcoholic beverages, and limits what packs carrying them show children.1,2
Last updated October 2026 · General information only, not legal advice. Sources.
What the rules cover
These are the front-of-pack requirements the 2020 modification of NOM-051 describes, according to its text and the government's manual on it, and where each is described as applying.1,2
| Requirement | Where it applies |
|---|---|
| Warning seals (octagons) | Black octagons such as "EXCESO AZÚCARES" for calories, sugars, saturated fats, trans fats or sodium, on the front of the pack. |
| Precautionary legends | Sweetener and caffeine legends, saying the product is not recommended for children. |
| Children's characters and interactive elements | Packs with a seal or the sweetener legend: no characters, cartoons, celebrities or games aimed at children. |
| Recommendations by professional bodies | Packs with seals: no recommendation or recognition by professional organizations on the label. |
| Nutrient limits behind the seals | Calculated in three phases, from October 2020, October 2023 and October 2025. |
| Imported food and drink | Covered as well: the standard addresses prepackaged products of national or foreign origin sold in Mexico. |
Where it goes wrong
One approved set of product information ends up in many channels, markets and languages. Along the way it gets shortened, translated and reworded, and some versions end up without the warnings or details these rules require.
Heldan cereal bar front of pack: "EXCESO AZÚCARES" seal and sweetener legend, no characters
How Arbitr helps
Read every version by hand? Or use AI to check what you publish against what you've already approved.
FAQ
Mostly away from the shelf. The 2020 modification puts the seals and legends on the label itself,1 and we usually find older or cropped versions of the pack in:
Treat the seal set as approved content tied to the recipe and the phase it was calculated under. When the formula changes, or a new phase applies, recalculate, update the label, then replace every pack shot and listing image that shows the old one. Our packaging and labels page shows how teams track this.
Keep one record per product: the nutrient profile, the seals and legends it carries, the phase it was calculated under, the label artwork version, who approved it, and every channel where the pack image appears. When a question comes in, you can show the calculation and the label together.
How it applies to a specific label is a question for your legal adviser. Where that label appears across your markets and languages is a question Arbitr answers.
Regulatory and R&D teams usually own the calculation, but packaging, brand, e-commerce and trade marketing all publish the pack, and so do retailers and delivery apps. A short briefing for each, with your own packs, helps. Other labeling rules are on our product labeling hub, including UKCA marking for Great Britain.
On October 1, 2020, according to the modification published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on March 27, 2020. Its nutrient limits then tightened in phases from October 1, 2023 and October 1, 2025.1
A draft change was published. The Secretaría de Economía put PROY-NOM-051-SE/SSA1-2025, a draft modification of numeral 4.5.3 on legends, out for public consultation in a document dated October 27, 2025.3
They're separate standards. NOM-051 covers the labeling of prepackaged food and non-alcoholic beverages, according to its text,1 while NOM-050-SCFI-2004 covers commercial information for other consumer products sold in Mexico.
You update the approved version once. Arbitr checks what's already live against it and shows you every version still using the old wording.
