Mexico's NOM-051 front-of-pack rules for pouches: what the front must carry

What goes on the main display surface

The standard distinguishes the main display surface, the front the consumer sees, from the rest of the label. The front must carry the product denomination in bold (numeral 4.2.1), the brand, the net content and the front-of-pack system (numeral 4.5.3.4): the warning seals and the precautionary legends that apply. The ingredient list, the responsible party's details, the lot, the expiry date and the nutrition declaration can go on other faces, always in Spanish.

• Measure the real front of the filled pouch: the visible area, not the whole blank with gusset and seals.
• Reserve the seal zone and the legend zone on the dieline; the artwork is built around them, not the other way round.
• If you also sell in the US or Canada, their labelling rules differ and are reviewed separately.

Seals are printed, not stuck on

The third transitional article of the 2020 modification allowed adhesives or stickers on the label only temporarily, until 31 March 2021. Since then seals and legends are part of the print. For a brand with several SKUs this means every product with a different classification is a different artwork, and every change of classification means reprinting the front, not patching it.

Digital printing fits that logic: artwork changes per design without plates, so a flavor with two seals and another with three can share one order and one pouch format. Quantities per design, material and production are confirmed in each proposal.

Seal size depends on the front area

Table A1 of the standard's Appendix A sets the minimum size of each seal by main display surface. As a reference: on fronts above 100 and up to 200 cm² each seal is at least 2.5 cm wide by 2.77 cm high; above 200 and up to 300 cm², 3.0 by 3.32 cm; above 300 cm², 3.5 by 3.88 cm. On small fronts it drops to 2.0 by 2.22 cm (above 60 and up to 100 cm²), 1.5 by 1.66 cm (above 30 and up to 60 cm²) and 1.0 by 1.11 cm (above 5 and up to 30 cm²); at 5 cm² or less the seal takes at least 15% of the surface.

Two rules change the design of small pouches: if the main surface is 40 cm² or less, only one seal is included, with the number of nutrients that exceed the profile (numeral 4.5.3.4.2); and if it is under 60 cm², the seals may be placed anywhere on that surface.

• A 250 g stand-up pouch usually has a front above 200 cm²: plan for seals of 3.0 × 3.32 cm.
• A single-portion sachet may fall in the single-seal-with-number range; decide that before drawing the artwork.
• Confirm the exact position of seals and legends with Appendix A and with your advisor; the designer must never shrink a seal to fit the artwork.

Phases and dates: what changes in 2028

The 2020 modification came into force in phases. The second phase started on 1 October 2023 and the Acuerdo published in the DOF on 31 July 2025, in force since 1 January 2026, extended it to 31 December 2027. The third phase starts on 1 January 2028: from then on the calculation of the complementary nutritional information applies numeral 4.5.3 and the nutrient-profile table 6 in full (energy, sugars, saturated fat, trans fat and sodium).

In practice, a product that shows one seal today may need more in 2028 without changing its formula, because more nutrients are evaluated. Envapack also reports that a draft standard (PROY-NOM-051-SE/SSA1-2025) is under consultation, so the exact phase-3 rules may still be adjusted.

• Design the front with room for all five seals even if you use fewer today; versioning artwork later costs less than redesigning.
• Record each SKU's current classification next to its artwork and review it with your advisor when you reformulate or before 2028.
• Keep files by version: a change of seals is a new version of the same pouch format.

What Pouché checks in your artwork, and what it does not

We check that the design reserves the seal and legend space, that the minimum size matches the front area, that seals are printed and that mandatory texts are legible on the chosen material. We do not classify products, validate nutrition data or replace your regulatory advisor: that responsibility belongs to the brand, as the standard sets out.

• Send each SKU's classification (number and type of seals) and the country of sale with the artwork.
• Keep one pouch format for the whole family and version only the artwork.
• Ask for a printed proof of the front to check seal size and contrast before approval.