The 49th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL49) was held in Ottawa, Canada from May 11 to 15, 2026. A Chinese delegation consisting of officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment participated in the session. Representatives from the Food Production and Operation Supervision Department of SAMR took part in the meeting as members of the delegation, engaged in the drafting of international food labelling rules, and promoted the in-depth alignment of China’s food labelling regime with international standards.

The session focused on reviewing work matters of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and relevant subsidiary committees, labelling provisions of various Codex standards, guidelines on precautionary allergen labelling, specifications for combined and multi-pack food labelling, guidelines for the labelling of emergency foods, and other key topics.

During the meeting, the Chinese delegation took an active part in the deliberation of draft Codex standards including the Guidelines on the Use of Precautionary Allergen Labelling and Provisions Relevant to Joint Presentation and Multipack Formats. Based on China’s practical experience in food labelling regulatory system development and supervision, the delegation conducted in-depth discussions on relevant issues, spoke with a unified voice, and put forward Chinese proposals on formulating specifications for allergen labelling.These efforts helped make international rules more scientific and impartial, and better compatible with China’s regulatory requirements and industrial development needs. The session ultimately reached a consensus that drafts such as the Guidelines for the Use of Precautionary Allergen Labelling will be submitted to the 49th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission to be held in Geneva in July 2026 for further review.