Overview of the different labeling and marking requirements, including any restrictive advertising or labeling practices and where to get more information.
Last Published: 8/1/2016

The Ecuadorian Standards Institute (INEN) sets all labeling requirements. Labeling must be in Spanish and must include:

  • Name of the company,
  • Address,
  • Phone number,
  • Tax registration number (RUC),
  • Country of origin,
  • Unit,
  • Net weight, and
  • ​Sanitary registration number, if required.

INEN follows U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards and requirements for labeling and marking.

In some instances, specific product labeling in Spanish is required.

For food items, in addition to the nutritional label, Ecuador uses a mandatory ‘traffic light’ system on the front of food packaging to indicate high (red), medium (orange), or low (green) levels of fats, sugars, and salt. This legislation was put in place by the Ministry of Health and was implemented in 2014.

To determine current regulations, exporters should also contact their Ecuadorian importers and representatives. The U.S. Embassy recommends verifying up-to-date labeling requirements with INEN prior to shipping.

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.