Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Health has proposed introducing mandatory colour-coded labelling for soft drinks based on their sugar content from 1 January 2027.
The relevant draft government resolution has been published for public discussion.
Under the document, the requirements would apply to both domestically produced and imported beverages.
Warning labels would be placed on the front of packaging, occupy at least 15% of its surface area and be clearly visible to consumers.
The draft proposes three labelling categories. Drinks containing between 5 and 8 grams of sugar per 100 ml would carry the warning “MODERATE SUGAR CONTENT” in black lettering on a yellow background.
Beverages containing between 8 and 11 grams of sugar per 100 ml would carry the warning “HIGH SUGAR CONTENT” on a dark orange background.
For drinks containing 11 grams of sugar or more per 100 ml, the proposed warning would read “VERY HIGH SUGAR CONTENT — FREQUENT CONSUMPTION IS HARMFUL TO HEALTH”, in white lettering on a red background.
QR codes containing information about ingredients, calorie content and recommended daily consumption levels would also be placed on packaging.
A separate part of the initiative concerns laboratory testing. The Committee for Food Safety would be required to approve a standardised methodology for analysing sugar content by 1 March 2027 and organise the relevant testing at accredited laboratories by 1 September.
The agency would also be required to publish a quarterly register of beverages whose sugar content exceeds the established limits.
A digital platform for monitoring high-sugar drinks is scheduled to be developed and gradually launched by 1 December 2027.
The platform is proposed as a module of the national Asl Belgisi digital labelling system, operated by CRPT Turon. This would prevent the same data from having to be entered repeatedly.
The platform would record the sugar or carbohydrate content per 100 ml of each product, as well as the sweeteners used.
The system would be integrated with the Tax Committee’s information systems through the Digital Government interagency platform. Laboratory test results would be used to identify discrepancies between the declared and actual composition of beverages.
Aggregated information would be published in an open format, and the platform would be aligned with the GS1 Digital Link international standard. Development and technical maintenance of the system would be financed from the state budget.
By 1 January 2028, the Customs Committee is proposed to introduce electronic declarations of sugar content for imported soft drinks. The draft also provides for a ban on importing products whose labelling does not comply with the new requirements.
From 1 January 2027, sales of soft drinks bearing labels that violate the established rules would also be restricted in educational institutions in stages.
In addition, the Competition Development and Consumer Protection Committee is proposed to conduct regular test purchases of beverages with high sugar content and publish information about detected violations in the media.
The document is a draft government resolution. The proposed measures would be introduced if it is adopted.
