MIIT: Proposes That from August This Year Mooncakes and Zongzi Packaging Be Limited to No More Than Three Layers, with Packaging Costs Controlled at No More Than 20% of Product Selling Price

According to a notice released on the official website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on the 8th, in order to further standardize packaging requirements for food and cosmetics, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has organized and completed the drafting of Modification Sheet No. 1 (draft for comments) to the mandatory national standard "Requirements for Limiting Excessive Packaging of Commodities — Food and Cosmetics." Among other things, it states that grain and its processed products, mooncakes and zongzi should not exceed three layers, while other commodities should not exceed four layers.

The draft for comments requires that production organizations should take measures to control the cost of all packaging other than the packaging directly in contact with the contents to no more than 20% of the product's selling price. Packaging for mooncakes and zongzi should not use precious materials such as precious metals or rosewood. Mooncakes should not be packed together with other commodities, and zongzi should not be packed together with commodities of greater value than their own.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology stated that, in accordance with national green and low-carbon development requirements, in order to further limit excessive packaging of mooncakes and zongzi, this modification was proposed targeting the requirements concerning mooncakes and zongzi in the standard. Based on the packaging needs for mooncakes and zongzi, as well as to curb extravagance and eliminate the phenomenon of luxury packaging, it is stipulated that packaging for mooncakes and zongzi should not use precious materials such as precious metals or rosewood.

It is learned that the implementation date of the provisions on mooncake and zongzi packaging is August 1, 2022. Mooncakes and zongzi produced before the implementation date may be sold until the end of their shelf life.

In order to solve the problem of excessive packaging of food and cosmetics, in September last year the state also issued relevant standards. The new standard strictly limits details such as packaging layers, working hard to "slim down" excessive packaging. Experts say that reducing packaging waste requires advocating a civilized lifestyle. Both systems and concepts need to improve at the same time. Let lightweight packaging and simple packaging, and their recycling, become a new trend.

(Source: National Business Daily)