9 Requirements for a Perfect Package

The package is not just design: it is your product’s first legal document. In Colombia you can sell an imported product in its original packaging, but there is mandatory information that has to be printed on it or added on complementary labels. These are the points worth reviewing before you send the artwork to print.

Before you design the label

The label does two jobs at once: it speaks to the consumer and it answers to the health authority. That is why it is worth treating it as part of the product, not as a last-minute decoration. The information the rule requires changes by category, so the first step is always to know what your product is and which rules apply to it.

The 9 requirements to review

1. For domestically made products, all the information goes printed on the package: name, net content, ingredients, directions for use, manufacturer details, and special information such as allergens and precautions.
2. The name must describe the true nature of the product and match the one recorded on the sanitary registration. No names that suggest something the product is not.
3. The sanitary registration number and the details of the manufacturer, and of the importer where applicable, are mandatory on the label.
4. Alcoholic beverages carry the health warning statements the rule requires, placed and at the minimum size it defines.
5. Among those statements is the one warning that the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors is prohibited, which usually goes on the back label.
6. Net content is always declared, in the appropriate units.
7. If a food makes nutritional claims such as ‘low in’, ‘rich in’, ‘light’, or ‘reduced’, that condition must be supported before INVIMA when the product is registered.
8. If a cosmetic claims attributes such as ‘hypoallergenic’ or ‘dermatologically tested’, you must have on hand the studies that back it when the authorization is requested.
9. The expiry date and the batch number are mandatory depending on the type of product, printed on the label or with indelible marking. They are the basis of traceability: they make it possible to track and locate the product in the market.

The label and the sanitary registration go together

Almost everything above connects to the sanitary registration. The name, the claims, and the label data must be consistent with what was authorized before INVIMA, because a label that does not meet the rules in force is one of the frequent causes of delay or rejection. If your product is a food, also check when it must carry a nutrition facts table, and if the process is still not clear to you, start with our guide to the INVIMA sanitary registration.

A well-resolved package does not hold up sales, it enables them. It is worth reviewing it calmly before printing.