Creating Compliant Mexico Nutrition Facts Labels with Genesis Foods

Note: This article was originally published on June 13, 2024, and was updated on April 21, 2025, and September 5, 2025.

Mexico has specific regulations for nutrition labeling designed to ensure consumers have access to clear and accurate information. These regulations mandate that most pre-packaged food products include a nutrition facts label, ingredient lists, and declare any known allergens. Additionally, front-of-pack labeling is required to provide consumers with at-a-glance information about the nutritional quality of the product.

Read More: Front-of-Pack Labeling: FDA Proposes Plan to Make Food Labels Easier to Understand

Creating Nutrition Fact panels for the Mexican market can be complex, but Genesis Foods makes it straightforward. Genesis Foods assists users in creating a variety of Norma Official Mexicana (NOM) compliant Nutrition Facts labels and simplifies the process of creating ingredient lists and allergen statements. 

NOM-051: A Guide to Mexico's Labeling Rules

Mexico's official standard for food and beverage labeling, known as NOM-051, has been a significant catalyst for change in the country's food and beverage industry. Since its initial implementation in October 2020, the regulation has progressed through various stages, each introducing stricter requirements aimed at combating high rates of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

While Phase II of Mexico's labeling requirements brought a new set of challenges and adjustments, the industry is now facing the final and most significant stage: Phase III. This post will review the key points of all three phases and prepare you for the imminent changes.

Phase I: Laying the Groundwork (October 2020)

Phase I of NOM-051 introduced the mandatory front-of-pack (FOP) labeling system with the now-familiar black octagonal seals. These seals were required for products that exceeded specific nutritional thresholds for calories, sugars, saturated fats, trans fats, and sodium. The regulation also mandated cautionary legends for products containing caffeine and sweeteners and prohibited the use of characters, animations, and other child-targeted marketing elements on products with warning seals.

Read More: Creating Mexico Front-of-Package Warning Seals and Statements

Phase II: Stricter Thresholds (October 2023)

Phase II built on the foundations of Phase I by introducing more stringent nutritional thresholds. A key element of this phase was the evaluation of specific nutrients added to a product. For example, if a product contained added sugars, it would be evaluated for its sugar and calorie content.

The Final Stage: What to Expect from NOM-051's Phase III

A new agreement, published on July 31, 2025, in the Mexico Government's Federal Register has postponed the starting date for the third and final phase of NOM-051. The original start date of October 1, 2025, has been moved to January 1, 2028. The second phase will now remain in effect until December 31, 2027.

This extension provides manufacturers with a longer runway to adapt their products and labeling to the stricter requirements outlined in the final (and most rigorous) phase of the regulation:

• Stricter Nutrient Thresholds and Comprehensive Evaluation:  The final phase will introduce stricter thresholds for saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium. It will also require a comprehensive evaluation of all five critical nutrients (calories, sugars, saturated fats, trans fats, and sodium) if a product contains any added sugars, fats, or sodium.
• Full Enforcement of Marketing Restrictions: To protect children from the marketing of unhealthy foods, the following restrictions will be fully enforced on products with any warning seal:
  • No use of characters, animations, celebrities, or gifts
  • No health or nutrition claims
  • No endorsements from professional associations or similar entities
• Mandatory Additional Legends: Products containing caffeine or non-sugar sweeteners must display the required legends:
  • "CONTIENE CAFEÍNA: EVITAR EN NIÑOS" (CONTAINS CAFFEINE: AVOID IN CHILDREN)
  • "CONTIENE EDULCORANTES, NO RECOMENDABLE EN NIÑOS" (CONTAINS SWEETENERS, NOT RECOMMENDED IN CHILDREN)

Simplifying Nutrition Fact Panels for the Mexican Market

To ensure compliance with Mexican nutrition labeling regulations, it is essential to include specific nutrient information on your product labels. In most cases, the following nutrients must be declared on the Nutrition Facts label for regulated pre-packaged food products: Calories, protein, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, sugar, added sugar, dietary fiber, and sodium. Note: Additional nutrients may be required per the regulations, for example, if a nutrient content claim is made.

Genesis Foods simplifies the process of creating accurate Nutrition Facts (Declaración Nutrimental) labels, with guard rails to help your product label comply with Mexican regulatory standards. Users can enter their product nutrition information, and the software automatically calculates nutrient values and formats the information according to the regulations.

Label Formats in Genesis Foods Include:

1. 1. Standard Vertical Labels: This label format (pictured on the right) is the most commonly used label format. This label format includes all required nutrients with amounts per serving and daily value percentages in a vertical format. Genesis Foods simplifies the creation of these labels, ensuring that all necessary information is accurately presented and compliant with regulatory standards.

   2. Linear Labels: For packaging that requires a more compact format, Genesis Foods assists in generating linear labels presented in a simplified, horizontal layout. These labels still deliver all necessary nutritional details in a clear and compliant manner, ideal for products with limited packaging space.

   3. Dual Column Labels: Products with multiple servings often use dual column labels to show nutritional information per serving and per package. Genesis Foods makes it easy to create these labels, ensuring that all required information is presented accurately, providing a detailed comparison of nutrients per serving and per package.

Creating Accurate Ingredient Lists (Ingredientes)

Accurate ingredient labeling is a critical component of compliance with Mexican food labeling regulations. To ensure that consumers are well-informed about the contents of a product, the following guidelines must be adhered to: The list of ingredients must be headed or preceded by the word “Ingredientes” (Ingredients). In general, the ingredients must be listed in quantitative order. This ensures consumers are well-informed about the contents of the product, aiding in transparency and consumer trust.

In addition to Nutrition Facts panels, Genesis Foods automates the creation of accurate ingredient lists by calculating the weight of each ingredient in your recipe and automatically listing them in order of predominance.

Ensuring Consumer Safety with Allergen (Contiene) Statements

Proper allergen labeling is essential to protect consumers with food allergies and intolerances. To comply with Mexican regulations, ingredients or additives that cause hypersensitivity, intolerance, or allergic reaction must be declared, headed, or preceded by the word “Contiene” (Contains).

Required allergens include:

• gluten (and cereals containing gluten)
• crustaceans
• eggs
• fish
• milk/dairy
• soy
• tree nuts*
• peanuts
• sulfites
• mollusks.

*Tree nuts must be listed by specific type (e.g., almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, etc.).

Genesis Foods is pre-loaded with all required allergens and guides users through the ingredient and recipe creation process to review them, ensuring all potential allergens are clearly and correctly identified. This automation minimizes errors, ensures compliance with Mexican regulations, and enhances consumer safety and trust.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about NOM-051

What is NOM-051?

NOM-051, or "Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-051," is the official Mexican standard that sets the labeling requirements for all pre-packaged food and non-alcoholic beverages sold in the country. It was created to help consumers make more informed and healthy choices by clearly identifying products with excessive levels of critical nutrients.

What are the black octagonal warning seals?

The warning seals are black octagonal symbols placed on the front of food and beverage packaging. Each seal corresponds to a specific nutrient that is present in excess of the official thresholds. The five seals are:

• "EXCESO CALORÍAS" (Excess Calories)
• "EXCESO AZÚCARES" (Excess Sugars)
• "EXCESO GRASAS SATURADAS" (Excess Saturated Fat)
• "EXCESO GRASAS TRANS" (Excess Trans Fat)
• "EXCESO SODIO" (Excess Sodium)

When did the NOM-051 phases go into effect?

• Phase 1: Began on October 1, 2020, introducing the mandatory warning seals and initial thresholds.
• Phase 2: Began on October 1, 2023, with stricter thresholds for certain nutrients and an evaluation focused on added ingredients.
• Phase 3: Begins on January 1, 2028 with the most significant changes to nutrient thresholds and a comprehensive evaluation of all nutrients.

Does NOM-051 apply to imported products?

Yes. NOM-051 applies to both domestically produced and imported pre-packaged food and non-alcoholic beverages intended for the Mexican market. Imported products must comply with all labeling requirements, and in many cases, this must be verified by an accredited Inspection Unit before they are released from customs.

Why is Mexico implementing these stricter rules?

Mexico’s adoption of the rigorous standards outlined in NOM-051 is rooted in a commitment to public health with initiatives that equip consumers with transparent, reliable, and easily understood information about prepackaged foods and non-alcoholic beverages. Changes to the official standard were made with a few core objectives in mind:

1. Reducing rates of obesity and chronic disease in both adults and children by making it easier to identify major contributors to these health concerns in the food supply
2. Ensuring that consumers have truthful, clear, and sufficient information to make informed choices about the foods and beverages they purchase and consume
3. Alignment with evidence-based international recommendations and best practices for food labeling and marketing restrictions
4. Protecting vulnerable populations with rules that restrict how food and beverage products can be marketed toward children
5. Reducing misleading health and nutrition claims for products that exceed critical nutrient thresholds

Beyond the Rules: Simplify Compliance with Genesis Foods

Understanding the complexities of NOM-051 is one thing; executing a flawless compliance plan is another. The constant updates, complex calculations, and risk of non-compliance can be a major challenge for any food and beverage brand. It's an important job, and that's why it's so important to have the right tools for getting it done.

Genesis Foods is designed to simplify this process. Instead of manually crunching numbers and cross-referencing regulations, you can use our solution to:

• Automate Calculations: Our software is pre-loaded with the specific thresholds for NOM-051 Phases 1, 2, and 3. As you adjust your product formula, it instantly calculates the nutritional profile and indicates which warning seals are required.
• Generate Compliant Labels: With a single click, you can create and download a government-compliant Mexican nutrition label, including all the required octagonal seals and cautionary legends.
• Reduce Errors and Risk: By automating the most complex parts of the process, you minimize the risk of costly labeling errors, product recalls, or fines.

Stop guessing and start creating with confidence. With Genesis Foods, you can ensure that your products are always compliant with the latest Mexican labeling laws, saving you time, protecting your brand, and giving you peace of mind. 

Ready to get started? Check out our hands-on demo of Genesis Foods, and then get in touch with one of our experts to learn more about how our solutions fit into a smart labeling compliance strategy.