Food Businesses Given Six Months to Meet New Packaging and Labelling Standards

The Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) has introduced stringent new Food Packaging and Labelling Regulations, giving food industry businesses a six-month grace period to comply with the updated requirements. Published in the Government Gazette, the new regulation replaces the previous national standard for packaged food. The primary objective is to enhance public health by ensuring that all food products are packaged in certified food-grade materials specifically intended for food use. A key highlight of the new rules is the prohibition of sealing food in single-use plastic bottles, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers, that lack proper food-grade certification. The MFDA now holds the authority to withhold, suspend, or revoke the licenses of importers, exporters, and labeling businesses if negligence is found to pose a risk to the public. The regulation introduces a tiered penalty system for mislabelled products imported or manufactured within the Maldives. A first offense results in a USD 649 fine and a seven-day license withholding. Repeat offenders face significantly steeper penalties, with a second offense costing USD 6,485 and a 15-day suspension, and a third offense triggering a USD 48,638 fine and total license cancellation. In cases where mislabelling endangers human life, fines can reach USD 64,851. General labelling violations are also subject to strict fines, escalating from USD 649 for a first offense up to USD 64,851 by the fifth offense, at which point the operating license will be revoked. Businesses must utilize the six-month window to audit their packaging materials, phase out non-compliant PET bottles, and update all product labels to meet MFDA standards. The authority warned that once this period expires, the previous national standards will be officially repealed, and any continuing non-compliance will be met with the full weight of the new penalties.