South Korea's Implementation of Digital Food Labels: How Should Exporting Companies Respond?

Foodmate News — As the global digitalization of food labels accelerates, South Korea has taken the lead since 2024 in permitting the use of digital labels on domestically produced processed foods and other products. In August 2025, South Korea amended the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods, Etc., providing a clear legal basis for digital labels and extending their scope to imported foods and other areas. Foodmate has summarized the relevant South Korean digital labeling requirements for companies exporting to South Korea, for the reference of industry peers exporting to the Korean market.

01

Core of the System: Upgrading from One-Dimensional Barcodes to QR Codes

South Korea is promoting an upgrade of food labeling from traditional one-dimensional barcodes to QR codes. The core of this change is that consumers can scan the QR code on the packaging with their mobile phones to access a food information webpage and obtain more detailed product information. For food companies exporting to South Korea, this means the front of the packaging can be simpler, but the digital information must be complete and compliant.

02

What Must Be Printed on the Packaging?

If digital labels are used, the following information must be printed directly on the packaging:

a. Product name, net content

b. Ingredient names (the top 3 main ingredients and the main functions of food additives)

c. Company name

d. Consumer safety precautions (excluding the nitrogen flush indication)

e. Date marking

f. Storage method

In addition, energy, sodium, sugars and trans fat in the nutrition label must be printed directly on the packaging. If a specific nutrient content is emphasized, the content of that nutrient and the percentage of its DV must also be additionally labeled.

If digital labels are adopted, the above information should, in principle, be indicated on the packaging in a font size of 12 points or larger, except in cases otherwise specified.

03

Labeling Requirements

If a company chooses to use digital labels such as QR codes, the following requirements must be met:

1. Position: The QR code should be located on the principal display panel or near the ingredient list, so that consumers can easily identify it. Curved surfaces, overly small sizes or blurriness are all unacceptable.
2. Size: A size of 15×15 mm or larger and a resolution of 300 dpi or higher are recommended; if space is insufficient, the code may be reduced to 10×10 mm, but readability must be ensured.
3. Quiet zone: At least 1 mm of blank space must be kept around the QR code.
4. Color: A black code on a white background is recommended; if other colors are used, sufficient contrast must be ensured, as shown in the figure below:
5. Prompt text: Guiding text such as "Scan here for detailed labeling information" must be marked around the QR code.
6. Accessibility: It is recommended to provide voice/sign-language video conversion codes for visually impaired persons and to use tactile bumps around the QR code.

04

Points to Note

Food companies exporting to South Korea should pay particular attention: products using QR codes must complete product registration on the portal website before import declaration. In addition, to distinguish imported foods from domestically produced South Korean foods, the QR code must include, in addition to the product identification code, a license number (business registration or declaration number).

05

Conclusion

South Korea's digital reform of food labeling provides food companies exporting to South Korea with more flexible labeling solutions, but at the same time places higher demands on digital information management. Foodmate reminds companies to familiarize themselves with South Korean labeling regulations as early as possible and to design packaging and QR codes properly, so as to ensure compliance while enhancing the consumer experience.

This article was edited by the Food Information Center of Foodmate. Reproduction without authorization is prohibited; to reprint, please contact news@foodmate.net.