,"The Ministry of Health of Chile has officially published Decree No. 45 (2024) in the Diario Oficial on November 6, 2025, introducing significant amendments to the Food Sanitary Regulation (Decree 977/1996).
The reform aligns national legislation with Law 21.179, which regulates the elaboration, denomination, and labeling of dairy products, and strengthens transparency regarding the origin and processing of milk and dairy derivatives.
Key changes include:
- New definitions such as ""elaboration of foods"" and updated definitions for milk and dairy products.
- Mandatory labeling of the country or countries of milking, including displaying national flags on the principal display panel of dairy product packages.
- Specific labeling rules for products made from reconstituted or recombined milk, and for cheeses made with milk from species other than cows.
- Obligatory indication of the primary thermal treatment used (pasteurization, UHT, sterilization), or declaration via QR code for other thermal methods.
- Classification updates, introducing ""raw milk"" and clarifying the definition of “natural milk” in alignment with the Chilean Health Code.
- New requirements for dairy processing plants, including qualified technical direction, mandatory analytical laboratories, and detailed record-keeping of milk origins and compositions.
- Flexibility for imported products, allowing label overprinting without prior authorization to comply with the new rules.
- The decree will take effect 24 months after publication, with the possibility of a single six-month extension for labeling compliance if requested in advance.
- The Chilean Comptroller General also approved the decree with clarifications regarding the legal interpretation of “milk” and “natural milk” under the Health Code."