Label rules › Nepal

Nepal label requirements for packaging

Packaged food sold in Nepal is labelled under Rule 18 of the Food Rules, 2027 (1970) — खाद्य नियमावली, २०२७ — overseen by the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC), and under section 6 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2075 (2018), which applies to every packaged good, food or not. The Food Hygiene and Quality Act, 2081 (2024) has replaced the Food Act of 1967; until rules under it are published, the 1970 rules remain the detail designers work to. Here is what goes on the pack.

Checked: 26 October 2026

Mandatory items

Food: Rule 18 of the Food Rules

No packed food may be sold without a label, easy to see, and inner containers are labelled too. The label gives the name and address of whoever packed and labelled the food, and of the business in Nepal it was packed for; the real or usual name of the food; its ingredients in order of weight or volume (the water need not be stated); the net weight or measure, never less than the contents; a statement or symbol when colour or preservative is added; and the batch number, the date of production and the expiry date, which are compulsory.

Rule 18(2): the label is in Nepali or English, and other languages may be added. Rule 18(3): preserved food may not be called “pure” — चोखो, विशुद्ध, शुद्ध — and no label may make a false or misleading claim. A pack that claims vitamins or minerals states their amounts. Fresh fruit and greens, liquid milk, whole eggs and uncanned fish and meat are exempt, and no one may overwrite or deface a label.

Every packaged good: the Consumer Protection Act

Section 6 asks the producer or importer to label in Nepali or English, in words ordinary buyers understand: the producer’s name and address and the industry’s registration number; the ingredients, quantity and weight; the quality where a standard sets it; how to use it and any side effects; the time limit for use; the retail price, batch number and date of manufacture; precautions for hazardous goods; and the maximum retail price including all taxes. Unlabelled goods may not be imported or sold, and selling them is an offence under section 38.

In 2025 the government pressed the MRP and labelling rules on more goods; Nepali packs print the price as अधिकतम खुद्रा मूल्य (सबै कर सहित) followed by the amount in rupees.

Licence, registration and the new Act

A food industry holds a licence from DFTQC (Food Rules, rules 24 and 28), renewed every year by the end of Ashad. The Consumer Protection Act asks for the industry’s registration number on the label, and many packs also print the DFTQC licence number — take the numbers from the client’s papers, never from an older pack.

The Food Hygiene and Quality Act, 2081 (some translations call it the Food Safety and Quality Act) keeps the same core: name, producer, ingredients, net quantity, price, batch, production and expiry dates, warnings and nutrition, in Nepali or English, with Nepali preferred for food made in Nepal. Check with DFTQC or the client’s consultant which rules are in force when you print.

Laying it out in Drint

1. Drint has no Nepal label kit yet and does not check these rules. Lay the label on the back panel with Insert → Product label or text blocks.
2. Paste the client’s Nepali text as it is — Drint does not translate. Devanagari shapes correctly and is outlined on export.
3. Write the calendar beside each date — वि.सं. (Bikram Sambat) or AD — so no one confuses 2083 with 2026.
4. Insert → Nutrition table builds a per-100 g table you can edit when the client has lab values.
5. Check in Export still finds text near the cut, low-resolution pictures and ink problems.

Sources

Food Rules, 2027 (1970), English text: FAOLEX nep22273. Consumer Protection Act, 2075 (2018): ADB Law and Policy Reform. Food Hygiene and Quality Act, 2081: UNEP LEAP.

Lay out the label in Drint

Questions

A summary written to design packs, not legal advice. Before printing, check the current Nepali texts, the client’s DFTQC licence and industry registration, and any rules under the 2081 Act with your client or a regulatory consultant.