Is date of manufacture mandatory?
We import food products from the US and UK. As per local regulations production date is mandatory. But I have noticed none of the imported food products have production date. The manufacturer indicates the lot or batch code and expiry date only.
Is production date not mandatory in other parts of the world? I am trying to understand the logic of insisting on the production date as in my opinion the expiry date is what matters? Please let me know your thoughts thanks
Roshni
Mandatory information to print on product label entirely depends on the local and regional regulations. If the importer country have no such regulation then manufacturer could not be forced to print the same. As you have said, expiry date or best before date seem more important to a consumer as compared to manufacturing date, so many manufacturer skip it where regulation permits them to do so.
In the UK, printing the production date is not mandatory, only minimum date of durability / use by / freezing (where product is frozen more than once).
https://eur-lex.euro...9919934&from=EN
I agree with you in that I don't think the production date on the labelling is particularly necessary, as the batch & expiry date will suffice for communication with the supplier regarding traceability/extension etc.
UK and US do not have a mandatory requirement for a production date.
In the USA, it is not mandatory. Except for infant formula.