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Regulation

Ley 20.606 (ALTO EN warnings): Chile nutrition label

Ley 20.606 (ALTO EN warnings), the Chilean nutrition label under Ley 20.606 (2012) + Reglamento DTO 13/2015 MINSAL, 7 mandatory nutrients, per 100 g or 100 ml and per serving, both columns required, Spanish on pack. Generate a compliant label free.

Reviewed against Ley 20.606 (2012) + Reglamento DTO 13/2015 MINSAL · Page updated October 25, 2026

Jurisdiction
Chile (Ministerio de Salud)
Regulation
Ley 20.606 (2012) + Reglamento DTO 13/2015 MINSAL
Effective
Phase 1: June 2016 · Phase 2: June 2018 · Phase 3: June 2019 (current)
Official source
www.bcn.cl
Generate a Chile labelBack to all formats

Nutrition labelling requirements in Chile

Packaged food sold in Chile must carry a nutrition declaration under Ley 20.606 (2012) + Reglamento DTO 13/2015 MINSAL. This page covers the Chile - Ley 20.606 (ALTO EN warnings) format: Black stop-sign octagon warnings per Decreto 13/2015. A compliant Chilean nutrition label declares 7 mandatory nutrients: energía, proteínas, grasa total, grasas saturadas, hidratos de carbono, azúcares totales and sodio. Values are declared per 100 g or 100 ml and per serving, both columns required, with energy in kcal, and sodium rather than salt. The scheme itself uses 2 colour bands, and is applied on pack. The panel is headed "Información Nutricional". Spanish is required on pack. Front-of-pack warnings apply. The required scheme is black octagon stop sign. NFL builds a print-ready Chilean nutrition label from your recipe, applying the rounding rules and reference intakes for Chile automatically, and exports it as PDF, PNG, SVG, JPG or EPS.

Official regulation

Citation
Ley 20.606 (2012) + Reglamento DTO 13/2015 MINSAL
Effective
Phase 1: June 2016 · Phase 2: June 2018 · Phase 3: June 2019 (current)
Scope
Chile (Ministerio de Salud)
Source

Key facts

FOP system
Black octagons: ALTO EN CALORÍAS / AZÚCARES / GRASAS SATURADAS / SODIO
World first
Chile invented the octagon warning system (Mexico + Peru + Argentina followed)
Wording
"MINISTERIO DE SALUD" mandatory at the bottom of every octagon

Front-of-pack scheme: how it works in Chile

Scheme type
black octagon stop sign
Colour bands
fill, text

Rounding + threshold rules (sample)

  • Phase 3 solids per 100g: energy 275 kcal, sugars 10g, sat fat 4g, sodium 400mg
  • Beverages per 100mL: energy 70 kcal, sugars 5g, sat fat 3g, sodium 100mg

Chile food warning labels and the ALTO EN system

Chile's food warning labels are mandatory and in force under Ley 20.606 and the Reglamento Sanitario de los Alimentos. A packaged food that meets the conditions in Article 120 bis must carry one or more black octagonal front-of-pack warnings reading "ALTO EN" followed by the nutrient or energy concerned.

There are four warnings: "ALTO EN AZÚCARES" (sugars), "ALTO EN GRASAS SATURADAS" (saturated fat), "ALTO EN SODIO" (sodium) and "ALTO EN CALORÍAS" (calories). Each one that applies is shown in its own octagon.

The test is not based only on what a food naturally contains. Under Article 120 bis, a warning generally applies when sodium, sugars or saturated fats have been added and the resulting content exceeds the limit. The calorie warning applies when sugars, honey, syrups or saturated fats have been added and the energy content exceeds its limit.

Source: Decreto Supremo N° 13 de 2015, modifying the Reglamento Sanitario de los Alimentos.

What triggers Chile warning labels on food

The limits that decide whether an ALTO EN warning is needed are mandatory and in force. They are set per 100 g for solid foods and per 100 ml for liquids, and were phased in through stages before reaching their final values.

Examples of the final limits:

  • Solid foods: 275 kcal per 100 g for energy, and 400 mg sodium per 100 g.
  • Liquid foods: 70 kcal per 100 ml for energy, and 5 g total sugars per 100 ml.

These examples are not the full set. A producer or importer must check every nutrient covered by Article 120 bis before deciding which octagons the product needs.

Foods or mixtures with no added sugars, honey, syrups, sodium or saturated fats are excluded from the warning requirement. The regulation lists other exclusions too, including certain foods sold in bulk, portioned or divided foods, and foods prepared at the customer's request, so the full exemption provisions should be checked for each product.

Source: Reglamento Sanitario de los Alimentos, Article 120 bis, as introduced by Decreto Supremo N° 13 de 2015.

ALTO EN octagons, placement and food warning label examples

Where a warning applies, its design is mandatory and in force. Article 120 bis specifies a black octagon with a white border, white upper-case text starting "ALTO EN", the nutrient or calorie descriptor, and the words "Ministerio de Salud".

Placement is mandatory too. The octagons normally go on the principal display face of the package. If more than one applies, they must sit next to each other, and stay visible, indelible and easy to read, without being covered in whole or in part.

For packages with a principal display area from 30 cm² to under 60 cm², the regulation in force lets the octagons go on another visible face. Packages with a principal display area under 30 cm² do not carry them individually; the warnings go on the larger container that holds them instead.

Where the original artwork did not include a required warning, it may be added with an indelible sticker, as long as the mandatory size, placement and presentation rules are met.

Source: Decreto Supremo N° 13 de 2015, Article 120 bis; Ministerio de Salud, Formato de descriptores "Alto en".

Chile food labeling law restrictions on advertising and schools

For foods covered by Article 5 of Ley 20.606, the advertising restrictions are mandatory and in force. Advertising for these foods must not be directed at children under 14. Chilean law defines advertising broadly, covering any promotion, communication, recommendation or other action meant to encourage consumption of a product.

Promotion aimed at children is also restricted. Covered foods must not be promoted to children under 14 with inducements unrelated to the product itself, such as toys, accessories or stickers, and must not be given to them free of charge.

In schools, the law in force bans the sale, marketing, promotion and advertising of covered foods inside preschool, primary and secondary educational establishments.

Article 120 bis also stops a food carrying an ALTO EN warning from making a nutrition claim under Article 120 about the same nutrient or energy that the warning concerns.

Source: Ley N° 20.606 sobre Composición Nutricional de los Alimentos y su Publicidad, Articles 5 to 8; Reglamento Sanitario de los Alimentos, Article 120 bis.

Ley 20.606, imported foods and when the rules took effect

The labelling requirements are mandatory and in force for products sold in Chile, including imported foods. Article 1 of Ley 20.606 expressly covers manufacturers, producers, distributors and importers, and makes the manufacturer, importer or producer responsible for complete and truthful label information.

An imported packaged product that meets the Article 120 bis conditions must carry the applicable ALTO EN warnings before it is sold in Chile. If the warning was not part of the original packaging artwork, it may be added with an indelible sticker.

Ley 20.606 was published on 6 July 2012. Decreto Supremo N° 13, which set up the operational ALTO EN framework, was published on 26 June 2015, and the labelling rules came into force on 27 June 2016 after a 12-month implementation period. The limits were tightened in stages, and the third and final stage took effect on 27 June 2019.

Source: Ley N° 20.606; Decreto Supremo N° 13 de 2015; Ministerio de Salud, Manual de Etiquetado Nutricional de Alimentos.

How NFL handles it

  • Applies the correct rounding rules for every nutrient
  • Uses the right Daily Value / Reference Intake table for this jurisdiction
  • Renders the required front-of-pack warnings automatically when thresholds are hit
  • Handles multilingual labels where required (bilingual EN/FR, EN/ES, Arabic + EN, etc.)
  • Exports print-ready vector PDF, PNG, SVG, JPG, and EPS

Common questions

What are Chile's ALTO EN warning labels?
They are mandatory black octagonal warnings, in force since 2016, on qualifying packaged foods. The four warnings flag foods high in sugars, saturated fat, sodium or calories, reading "ALTO EN AZÚCARES", "ALTO EN GRASAS SATURADAS", "ALTO EN SODIO" or "ALTO EN CALORÍAS".
What triggers a warning octagon in Chile?
Under the Article 120 bis rules in force, a warning is generally triggered when the nutrient has been added to the food and its content exceeds the limit. The calorie warning applies when specified energy-adding ingredients have been added and the energy limit is exceeded. Foods with no added sugars, honey, syrups, sodium or saturated fats are excluded.
Does Chile restrict advertising of products with warnings?
Yes, and the restrictions are mandatory. Advertising of covered foods must not be directed at children under 14, promotional inducements aimed at children are restricted, and covered foods cannot be sold, promoted or advertised in preschool, primary or secondary schools.
Do Chile's rules apply to imported products?
Yes, compliance is mandatory for imported foods sold in Chile. Ley 20.606 expressly includes importers and makes the manufacturer, importer or producer responsible for complete and truthful labelling, so a qualifying import must carry the applicable octagons in the prescribed format.
When did Chile's labelling law take effect?
The ALTO EN rules came into force on 27 June 2016, after Decreto Supremo N° 13 amended the Reglamento Sanitario de los Alimentos. The limits were phased in, and the third stage with the final limits took effect on 27 June 2019.
Are the ALTO EN warnings based only on naturally occurring nutrients?
No. The mandatory Article 120 bis test includes an ingredient-addition condition, so not every food is simply compared against the limits. Foods or mixtures without added sugars, honey, syrups, sodium or saturated fats are specifically exempted from the warning obligation.
Where must the Chile warning labels appear?
The mandatory rule generally puts the octagons on the principal display face of the package. Packages with a principal display area from 30 cm² to under 60 cm² may use another visible face, and packages under 30 cm² are covered through the warnings on the larger outer container.

How to generate one

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