Uruguay - Labeling/Marking RequirementsUruguay - Labeling
Products entering Uruguay must comply with all national legislation, as well as with the MERCOSUR legislation adopted by Uruguay. Some departmental (state) governments are also entitled to establishing labelling rules and inspections.
The Laboratorio Tecnológico del Uruguay (LATU, Uruguay’s technical laboratory), the Ministry of Public Health, and departmental governments control labelling and marking requirements for all imported products. Products such as textiles, foodstuff, footwear, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, cigarettes, and cosmetics have their own specific labelling requirements.
Labelling requirements for foodstuff were established by Decrees 315/94, 41/92, and 41/93. According to legislation, labels must contain a Spanish-language description of the list of ingredients or components of the product, country of origin, expiration date, net weight, and the full name and address of the manufacturer and importer, plus use and preparation instructions. The departmental government of Montevideo also regulates how the different requirements must be shown on the label.
In February 2018, the departmental government of Montevideo made it mandatory to label food products containing genetically modified organism ingredients. The regulation has yet to go into effect, but inspections are scheduled to begin in September. Testing for GMO ingredients will be conducted by private laboratories and the Food Molecular Traceability Laboratory of the Faculty of Sciences, University of the Republic. Uruguay is also considering a draft decree that makes mandatory labelling of packaged food, indicating if it has high levels of fat, sugars, sodium or trans fats (see Processed Foods overview).
Imported products may include the original label of the country/language of origin but must also have a sticker or label attached to the package with the information required by Uruguayan authorities. Manuals, product literature, and other written materials, while not required, will be more useful if written in Spanish. A consumer defense law, approved in 2000, regulates labeling requirements. Companies that can adapt their labels to local standards have a competitive advantage.