On October 20, 2025, South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) promulgated the Notification on Sodium and Sugars Reduction Labelling Standards (No. 2025-68). This amendment follows the partial amendment (Notification No. 2024-63) that came into effect on October 17, 2024.

Notification No. 2025-68 further expands the scope of applicable foods and provides more detailed provisions under the system. I would like to summarize the key points of these changes below.

Key points

• While such claims of “Reduction” Labelling were previously limited to a limited range of foods, the recent amendments introduced a phased expansion (2024 and 2025).
• Eligible products are classified into sodium-reduction and sugars-reduction categories.
• The average value for reference for each food category is used as a basis for comparison.

Here are the reduction labelling standards as amended in October 2025.

Article 4 (Labelling Standards)

① A product may use terms such as “less”, “reduced”, “light”, “decreased”, “lower”, or other similar expressions to indicate reduced sodium or sugars when it falls under one of the following conditions:

1. The nutrient content is reduced by 10% or more compared to the average value for reference for the specific sub-category. In this case, the sub-category averages are calculated based on the average sodium or sugars content of products currently distributed on the market within that sub-category.

2. The nutrient content is reduced by 25% or more compared to the manufacturer’s own similar product within the same sub-category (provided that its sodium or sugars content is at or below the average value for the specific sub-category).

② The sub-category average values for reference specified in Paragraph 1, Item 1 may be notified by posting them on the MFDS website.

③ The unit of comparison shall be per serving. However, for products that can be divided into individual portions, if the unit size is 100 g or more, or if it meets or exceeds the reference intake amount per eating occasion, the unit size shall be used as the unit of comparison.

Furthermore, Under Article 3 the target food categories include noodles and soup products for sodium-reduction labelling, and items such as breads and ice cream for sugars-reduction labelling. The October 2025 amendment broadened these target categories, expanding the scope of products such as soups and breads while newly adding chocolate. The detailed classification of all target foods is provided in an annex at the end of the Notification.

Key Takeaway

When applying similar labelling to food products intended for export to South Korea,  it is particularly important to pay close attention to differences in the comparative reference. For example, Japan’s Food Labelling Standards (Article 7, Appended Table 13, “Indication of Reduction”(Japanese)) allow products to be labelled as “XX% reduced” relative to similar products. The Japanese system allows business operators, under certain conditions, discretion to determine the basis for this comparison, for instance, by using one of their own similar products.

However, the Korean “Sodium and Sugars Reduction Labelling Standards” are significantly different in that the reference for comparison is the category-specific average value established by the MFDS. Besides, when exporting to Korea, it is also essential to check that your product complies with the relevant food category specifications, including definitions and standards.

For those planning to use similar labelling, we recommend starting with the MFDS’s guidelines for business operators (as of December 2024), which provide a clear, easy-to-understand, illustrated overview. After reviewing these materials to grasp the overall framework of the system, it is advisable to then check the details of the 2025 amendments.

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