MFDA gives businesses six months to update food labels under new packaging regulation

The Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) has given businesses six months to ensure all food products are labeled in full compliance with the newly issued Food Packaging and Labelling Regulation.

The regulation was gazetted last Tuesday. In an announcement on Sunday, the MFDA said all packaged and labelled food items must meet the required standards within the six‑month transition period, warning that violations will carry significant penalties.

The authority urged businesses and the public to pay close attention to the new labelling requirements and ensure all products are updated before the deadline.

Under the regulation, mislabeling of food products, whether produced locally or imported or exported, carries a fine of up to MVR 1 million. For more than five repeated offences, the MFDA may also revoke the relevant licence or registration in addition to imposing the maximum fine.

The regulation further prohibits the sale of any food item that is unlabelled or incorrectly labelled.