Mexico nutrition label requirements: NOM-051 and the warning octagons
What a food or drink sold in Mexico must carry under NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010 as amended in 2020: the Spanish nutrition table, the black EXCESO warning seals, the sweetener and caffeine legends, and the rules on what a sealed product may not show. Generated from your recipe, with the seals computed for you.
The rule, and why it looks like no other label
Mexico's food labelling standard is NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010, and the 2020 amendment (published in the Diario Oficial on 27 March 2020, in force from 1 October 2020) turned it into the strictest front-of-pack regime in the Americas. A packaged food or non-alcoholic drink sold in Mexico carries a Spanish-language nutrition table on the back and, where thresholds are crossed, black octagonal warning seals on the front: EXCESO CALORÍAS, EXCESO AZÚCARES, EXCESO GRASAS SATURADAS, EXCESO GRASAS TRANS and EXCESO SODIO. Two rectangular legends cover sweeteners and caffeine.
The scheme is modelled on Chile's warning labels and shares its logic: the seals are computed from nutrient density, not from serving size, so a smaller serving does not make a seal go away. This page is written from the standard's text and the published DOF modifications, dated 2 September 2026. The single format that implements it is Mexico NOM-051 (octagon warnings).
The nutrition table (Declaración nutrimental)
The back-of-pack table is headed "Información nutrimental" and declares, per 100 g or 100 mL and per portion, with the number of portions per package: contenido energético in kcal and kJ, proteínas, grasas totales with grasas saturadas and grasas trans beneath, hidratos de carbono disponibles with azúcares and azúcares añadidos beneath, fibra dietética and sodio. Everything is in Spanish, in metric units, with the per-100 column mandatory; the per-portion column is what most producers used before 2020 and is no longer sufficient on its own.
Rounding follows the standard's own increments (energy to the nearest whole kcal, fat and carbohydrate to 0.1 g below 10 g, sodium to the nearest mg) and differs from the US rules; a US panel translated into Spanish is not a NOM-051 table. Vitamins and minerals are declared only when added or claimed, against Mexico's reference values, not the US Daily Values.
When a warning seal fires
Table 6 of the amended standard sets the thresholds, per 100 g for solids and per 100 mL for liquids, and they tighten in phases. The thresholds in force today (Phase 2, from 1 October 2023) are:
- EXCESO CALORÍAS: 275 kcal or more per 100 g of solid; 70 kcal or more per 100 mL of liquid; or, for a liquid, 10 kcal or more from free sugars per 100 mL.
- EXCESO AZÚCARES: free sugars supplying 10% or more of energy.
- EXCESO GRASAS SATURADAS: saturated fat supplying 10% or more of energy.
- EXCESO GRASAS TRANS: trans fat supplying 1% or more of energy.
- EXCESO SODIO: 300 mg or more per 100 g of solid, or 1 mg of sodium per kcal or more; 45 mg or more per 100 mL of a calorie-free liquid.
Three details catch people out. The sugars test uses free sugars (added sugars plus the sugars naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juice), not total sugars, so a plain milk does not earn a sugar seal but a fruit nectar does. The sodium test has two arms, and the ratio arm catches low-calorie salty products that pass the absolute threshold. And the calorie test for liquids has a free-sugar energy arm that catches a lightly sweetened drink that is otherwise under 70 kcal. The free Mexico warning seals checker applies all five tests to your per-100 values and shows which arm fired.
Products with no added sugars, fats or sodium (plain dairy, single-ingredient foods without additives, unsweetened water) are exempt from the seals even if they cross a threshold naturally. Phase 3 of the thresholds was scheduled for 1 October 2025; a DOF agreement of 31 July 2025 kept Phase 2 in force until 31 December 2027, with Phase 3 now beginning 1 January 2028. Build to Phase 2 today and check the seals again before 2028.
The two legends
Separate from the octagons, two rectangular legends are mandatory when they apply. "CONTIENE EDULCORANTES, NO RECOMENDABLE EN NIÑOS" appears on any product containing non-nutritive or low-calorie sweeteners. "CONTIENE CAFEÍNA, EVITAR EN NIÑOS" appears on any product with added caffeine, in any quantity. Both sit with the seals on the front of pack, in the same black-and-white style, and both are computed by the generator from the ingredient list.
What a sealed product may not do
This is the part of NOM-051 that changes product design, not just the label. A product carrying one or more seals or legends may not display on its packaging: cartoon or animated characters, celebrities, athletes or mascots aimed at children; toys, games, digital downloads or other promotional elements aimed at children; or nutrient content claims about the nutrient that triggered the seal (no "reduced sugar" on a product with an EXCESO AZÚCARES seal). It also may not carry an endorsement from a health or professional body. The seals must be on the front, top right, at a size scaled to the front-panel area, and may not be covered by sleeves, price stickers or promotional overlays.
Imports are not exempt: a US or European product needs a Mexican-market label, and a sticker that covers the original panel is acceptable only if it is complete, legible and permanently attached. Foods sold in bulk, unpackaged or prepared at the point of sale, and packages under 40 cm² (which carry a reduced set of seals) have partial relief; alcoholic beverages are covered by NOM-142 instead.
Ingredients and allergens in Mexico
The ingredient list is in Spanish, in descending order by weight, with additives declared by function and specific name or INS number. Allergens are declared inside the list or in a "Contiene" statement, and Mexico's list differs from the US nine: cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soy, milk, tree nuts, and sulphites at 10 mg/kg or more. Sesame is not on Mexico's list; gluten-containing cereals and sulphites are. If you label the same product for the US and Mexico, the two allergen statements will not match, and the generator keeps them separate for that reason.
Country of origin, lot code, best-before date in the Mexican format and the importer's details complete the set. Net content is declared in metric only, under NOM-030.
Selling in Mexico and elsewhere
Mexico's octagons are one of a family of Latin American warning schemes. Chile uses "ALTO EN" black octagons with different thresholds; Argentina uses "EXCESO EN" octagons under its 2021 law; Brazil uses a magnifier symbol; Peru and Colombia have their own. The same recipe re-renders to each on this platform, and the NOM-051 thresholds guide tracks the phase dates. For the North American market as a whole, pair this page with the US FDA requirements and the Canada Nutrition Facts table.
Mexico labelling FAQ
Is NOM-051 mandatory for imported products? Yes. Any prepackaged food or non-alcoholic drink sold in Mexico must comply, whoever made it.
Are the warning seals based on serving size? No. Every threshold is per 100 g or 100 mL, so changing the serving size does not remove a seal.
Does a product with seals have to remove its mascot? Yes, if the mascot or character is directed at children. That restriction applies to the packaging, not only the label.
What changed in 2025? Phase 2 thresholds were extended to 31 December 2027; Phase 3 now starts on 1 January 2028.
Label your product for Mexico
Spanish nutrition table, octagons and legends from one recipe. Free to start.
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