COMCE proposes digital labeling to modernize NOM-050.

Mexico is facing the high operational costs of physical labeling, which is why the Northeast Chapter of the Mexican Foreign Trade Council (COMCE Noreste) has proposed optimizing the Official Mexican Standard for General Labeling (NOM-050-SCFI-2004) to integrate a digital commercial information system using QR codes.

The organization emphasizes the importance of ensuring clear, accessible, and complete information for consumers. However, it has also warned that relying solely on printed labels overburdens operations and increases costs for manufacturers, importers, distributors, and, especially, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

COMCE Noreste has estimated that between 30,000 and 34,000 million labels are printed in Mexico each year, representing a direct cost of between US$ 1,203,208,556 and US$ 1,513,368,984.

However, indirect costs related to design, installation, storage, inventory management, inspections, disposal of obsolete supplies, and re-labeling of imported products must be added to this figure.

As Javier Cendejas, president of COMCE Noroeste, has said: “The cost isn’t just in the label itself, but in the entire process involved in applying it. Unloading, labeling, reloading the merchandise, and correcting any errors generate costs and inefficiencies that affect logistics.”

In light of these results, the proposal aims to supplement the required information with a QR code printed on the product, container, or packaging, so that consumers can view the digital label without having to install any app.

It is expected that with this format, customers will be able to immediately access the product name, description, contents, manufacturer or importer information, country of origin, instructions, warnings, expiration date, warranties, and contact information.

With this model, the authorities hope to maintain their oversight capabilities, while companies would gain in efficiency, reduce operating costs, and cut back on paper use.

For the agency, updating NOM-050 marks a key step toward commercial digitization and an opportunity that could boost the competitiveness of Mexico's manufacturing sector.