What must a food packaging label show in Malaysia?

Which rules apply

Food labels in Malaysia are governed by the Food Regulations 1985, made under the Food Act 1983. Part IV of the Regulations (regulations 9 to 18F) covers labelling. The Ministry of Health’s Food Safety and Quality Division publishes the current consolidated text, updated to August 2026, at hq.moh.gov.my/fsq/peraturanperaturan-makanan-1985. Halal claims fall under the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 (Act 730) and its halal orders. Barcodes are a retail requirement, not a legal one.

This guide covers prepackaged food. It is general guidance, not legal advice. Rules change, and some foods have extra product-specific requirements, so confirm your label with the Ministry of Health and, for halal, with JAKIM before you print.

What every food label must show

Regulation 11(1) lists the particulars every package of food for sale must carry. The table summarises them.

Particular	What the label must show	Reference
Name of the food	An appropriate designation or a description using the common name of the main ingredients, more prominent than other text	Reg 11(1)(a), 12(2)
Ingredients	Each ingredient in descending order of proportion by weight	Reg 11(1)(e)
Allergens	Cereals containing gluten, nuts and nut products including peanut and soybean, fish, milk including lactose, and egg	Reg 11(1)(ea), 11(5)
Beef, pork or lard	“CONTAINS” followed by beef, pork, their derivatives or lard, placed immediately below the name	Reg 11(1)(c), 11(2)
Added alcohol	“CONTAINS ALCOHOL” in capital, bold, non-serif letters of at least 6 point, immediately below the name	Reg 11(1)(d), 11(2)
Fats and oils	The animal or plant the fat or oil comes from	Reg 11(1)(f)
Food additives	The functional class, with the additive name or INS number	Reg 11(1)(g)
Net quantity	Minimum net weight, volume or number, plus drained weight for food packed in liquid	Reg 11(1)(i), (ia)
Name and address	Manufacturer or packer for local food. For imports, also the Malaysian importer and the country of origin	Reg 11(1)(j)
Date mark	Required for foods in the Fifth Schedule, in capital, bold, non-serif letters of at least 6 point	Reg 14

A post office box or a name printed only on the bottle cap does not count as an address (regulation 11(4)).

Language

Regulation 10 sets the language. For food produced, prepared or packaged in Malaysia, the required text must be in Bahasa Malaysia. For imported food, it must be in Bahasa Malaysia or English. In both cases you may add translations in any other language, which is how most local brands produce BM, English and Chinese labels.

For design, this means the Bahasa Malaysia text is the legal version. Write and proofread it first, then fit the other languages around it.

Letter size and layout

Regulations 12 and 13 control how the text looks:

1. 10 point minimum for required particulars, with equal prominence to other matter on the pack (regulation 12(3)).
2. 4 point minimum for the ingredient list, the name and address and the nutrition panel (regulation 12(4)).
3. 2 point floor on packages too small for the prescribed size, using the largest size practicable (regulation 13(5)).
4. Strong contrast between all lettering and its background (regulation 13(7)).
5. Durable marking on the package or on a label firmly attached to it (regulation 12(5)).

Point size here means the height of the lower case letters, or of the capitals when the wording is all in capitals (regulation 13(1)). A small sachet or a busy illustrated pack can run out of space quickly, so plan the information panel before the front of pack.

Date marking

Foods listed in the Fifth Schedule must carry a date mark (regulation 14). The accepted wording is “EXPIRY DATE” or “EXP DATE”, “USE BY”, “CONSUME BY” or “CONS BY” for an expiry date, and “BEST BEFORE” or “BEST BEF” for minimum durability. If the date depends on storage, the storage instructions must also appear. A lot code alone does not count as a date mark.

Nutrition labelling

Regulation 18B requires a nutrition panel on the food categories it lists, which cover many everyday packaged foods. The panel must state energy (kcal, kJ or both), protein, available carbohydrate, total sugars, fat and sodium, per 100 g or 100 ml (or per package for a single portion) and per serving. Ready-to-drink beverages must show total sugars directly under carbohydrates.

Packages with a total surface area under 100 cm² and returnable glass bottles are exempt, as long as the label makes no nutrition claim (regulation 17(5)).

The halal logo

Halal certification is a separate process from labelling. Under the Trade Descriptions (Certification and Marking of Halal) Order 2011, JAKIM and the state Islamic religious councils are the competent authorities that certify food as halal. Using the Malaysian halal logo, or describing a product as halal, without a valid Malaysian halal certificate is an offence under the Trade Descriptions Act 2011, enforced by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN).

For packaging, apply the logo only to the SKUs covered by the certificate. If one flavour in a range is not certified, its artwork must not carry the logo. Applications and certificate checks go through JAKIM’s Malaysia Halal Portal at halal.gov.my.

Barcodes

GS1 Malaysia states that barcode registration is not legally required, but most major retailers require it, and it is the only official provider of GS1 barcodes in Malaysia (gs1my.org). Leave space for the barcode on the back panel and print it at a size and colour that scanners can read.

Claims on any consumer product

For food and non-food products alike, the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 makes a false trade description an offence. Words such as “natural”, “organic” or a health benefit need evidence behind them. The Food Regulations also restrict specific food claims, so check before you add one.

How we use this in packaging design

We lay out every required particular at the right size and position, in Bahasa Malaysia, English and Chinese where needed, and leave the halal logo off any SKU without a certificate. The product owner remains responsible for the content. Before printing, you can submit your label to the Ministry of Health’s food label advisory service at hq.moh.gov.my/fsq/khidmat-nasihat-pelabelan-makanan.

For design costs, read our packaging design cost guide. To start a project, see our product packaging service or send your brief through the quote form.