FAIRS Country Report Annual - Packaging Additives and Contaminants
Report Number: MX2025-0049 Date: December 02, 2025 Country: Mexico Prepared By: USDA FAS Foreign Agricultural Service Source: [USDA GAIN Report](https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?fileName=FAIRS+Country+Report+Annual_Monterrey+ATO_Mexico_MX2025-0049.pdf)
Packaging Additives and Contaminants
Section III. Packaging and Container Regulations The General Health Law authorizes SALUD to regulate food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and tobacco packaging. Manufacturers and distributors who manufacture or use metal containers for food and beverages must comply with NOM-002-Salud1-1993. This regulation prohibits the sale or import of foods or beverages in metal containers with lead solders and specifies the type of seams permitted for hermetically sealed containers. NOM-130-Salud1-1995 lays out basic sanitary requirements for hermetically sealed products with thermal treatment, including limits on microorganisms, heavy metals, and additives. A. Packaging Sustainability Measures On June 25, 2019, a Decree that reforms and adds several provisions to the “Ley de Residuos Sólidos del Distrito Federal/Federal District Solid Residues Law/Solid Waste Law of Mexico City” was published in the Gaceta Oficial de la Ciudad de México. The dispositions in the Decree entered into force in Mexico City on June 26, 2019. Prohibitions for the utilization of non-compostable single use plastic items appear under Article 25. XI of the Decree. The prohibition to distribute, commercialize, and offer non-compostable plastic bags to consumers at points of sale of goods and products came into effect at the beginning of 2020. On January 1, 2021, the prohibition to distribute, commercialize, and provide single-use, non-compostable items including cutlery, cups, plates, trays, straws, and other products manufactured totally or partially with plastic, and designed for disposal after a single use, came into force. The prohibitions were also implemented on January 1, 2021, for single-use plastic coffee capsules and for items manufactured with micro plastics. On November 18, 2021, Mexico`s Senate presented to the Chamber of Deputies a decree project to reform and add dispositions to Mexico’s Federal Law “Ley General Para la Prevención y Gestíon Integral de Los Residuos.” Within ninety days from the day of entry of the Decree, each State Government must make changes to the corresponding State laws to comply with the Decree. For complete information on the decree project please visit the Cámara de Diputados website and review Parliamentary Gazette 5912-II dated 11/23/2021. Section IV. Food Additive Regulations SALUD, through COFEPRIS, regulates the use of additives in the preparation of food for human consumption. On July 16, 2012, SALUD published a guideline that determines additives and other substances (colorants, enzymes, synthetic flavors) used in food, beverages, and food
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supplements; their uses; and sanitary guidelines to reinforce the food safety of edible products and the health of the consumers. This document, which was updated in 2016, references permitted and prohibited additives and the maximum and minimum levels of additives in food, beverages, and food supplements. The current changes, which are valid but remain unannounced, may be accessed on the COFEPRIS website. NOM-130-Salud1-1995 establishes the regulation and sanitary specifications for foods in hermetically sealed containers subject to heat-treatment and includes the list of authorized food additives for canned foods and admissible amounts. NOM-213-Salud1-2002 addresses the sanitary specifications for processed meat products. It includes a list of permitted additives subject to best manufacturing practices and a list of additives and their established maximum levels. Section V. Pesticide and Contaminants The Inter-Secretariat Commission for the Control Process and Use of Pesticides, Fertilizers, and Toxic Substances (CICOPLAFEST) governs pesticide use in Mexico. Although it is not a formal regulatory body, the "Commission" coordinates the GOM's actions on pesticides through the secretariats of SALUD, SADER, and SEMARNAT, each with a defined regulatory function for evaluating the pesticide, including imports and exports. Information on the agencies' roles in the process can be found in Article 3 of the Federal Regulation on Registration, Import and Export Authorization, and Export Certificates for Pesticides, Fertilizers, and Toxic Materials (DOF 2812-2004). The regulation establishes the procedures for pesticide registrations. Through COFEPRIS, SALUD authorizes registrations, issues pesticide-free certificates, and grants import permits. SEMARNAT provides technical opinions regarding the protection of the environment. In contrast, SADER provides technical support regarding pesticides and fertilizers' biological effects and on phytosanitary aspects of maximum residue levels. The federal regulation on registration, import and export authorization, and export certificates for pesticides, fertilizers, and toxic materials lays out the procedures for pesticide registrations. Through COFEPRIS, SALUD is responsible for authorizing registrations, issuing free sale certificates for pesticides, and granting import permits. For detailed information, visit the COFEPRIS website. On February 4, 2020, ECONOMIA updated the "Agreement that Modifies the Classification and Codification of Merchandise Whose Import and Export is Subject to Regulation by the InterSecretariat Commission for the Control Process and Use of Pesticides, Fertilizers and Toxic Substances." See here for details. To visualize how the different GOM authorities interact in the regulatory process for pesticide registration, please see Figure 1 below.
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Figure 1. Authorities, Laws, and Regulations in Pesticide Registration in Mexico On August 11, 2015, SADER published in the DOF modifications to the official standard NOM032- FITO-1995, which establishes requirements and specifications to prepare studies on pesticide efficacy, including a Biological Effectiveness Report. Pesticides must undergo a field trial evaluation to determine their effectiveness and performance in Mexico. The information analyzed in the report must be science-based and grounded in good laboratory practices. On October 9, 2014, SADER consolidated its regulation of MRLs for animal and fishery products by canceling the existing NOMs and publishing a new regulation in the DOF outlining the establishment of animal product MRLs. For more information, visit SENASICA's website.
Source
USDA GAIN (Global Agricultural Information Network) Original source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service
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*Last updated: 2026-07-18*