Overview of the different labeling and marking requirements, including any restrictive advertising or labeling practices and where to get more information.
Last Published: 11/21/2019

INDOCAL is the Dominican governmental body overseeing the formulation, and implementation of national quality norms, which are enforced by the Ministry of Public Health through the General Directorate of Medicines, Food and Health Products (DIGEMAPS).
Currently, there are two standards on labeling: NORDOM 53 (also known as RTD 53) for retail food packaging and NORDOM 407 for medication. Before the product is sent to supermarkets, it is required now that all consumer-ready food imports have a Spanish label attached at origin with the following information:

  • Name of the food product
  • Ingredient list
  • Net and drained weight using the Metric system (grams, kg, etc.)
  • The Dominican Industrial and Sanitary registration number or its equivalent
  • Usage instructions
  • Name and address of manufacturer and/or distributor

In addition to NORDOM 53 and 407, Article 112 of the General Law of Health Law (42-01) indicates that the following products must be labeled in Spanish: cosmetics, medical equipment, tobacco products, agricultural chemicals, dairy products, and any other substance that may represent a risk to human health.
Special registration and license import rules govern foods not packaged for retail sale and other pharmaceutical products. https://www.indocal.gob.do

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