The unique formula identifier (UFI) is a code printed on products with hazardous mixtures in the
European Economic Area (EEA), meant to help calls to
poison control center
A poison control center is a medical service that is able to provide immediate, free, and expert treatment advice and assistance over the telephone in case of exposure to poisonous or hazardous substances. Poison control centers answer questio ...
s to determine the contents.
The UFI is mandated in the European Economic Area for consumer, professional and industrial products containing hazardous mixtures.
[ Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 was amended b]
Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/542
to add certain requirements for the submission of information relating to emergency health response and for the inclusion of a "unique formula identifier" in the supplemental information provided on the label of a hazardous mixture. Use in new consumer products started on 1 January 2021 and will be required for industrial products on 1 January 2024. From 1 January 2025, existing products must include the UFI.
[The UFI and what it means for your product labels](_blank)
ECHA The UFI is controlled by the
European Chemicals Agency
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA; ) is an agency of the European Union which manages the technical and administrative aspects of the implementation of the European Union regulation called Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restrict ...
(ECHA).
Format
The UFI takes the form of a
prefix
A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. Adding it to the beginning of one word changes it into another word. For example, when the prefix ''un-'' is added to the word ''happy'', it creates the word ''unhappy''. Particula ...
acronym
UFI:, followed by a 16-digit alphanumeric code, separated in 4 blocks with dashes. All letters are upper case and letters that are hard to discern from numerals are omitted. The UFI contains a checksum.
[What is a UFI? - Using the UFI for your products and mixtures](_blank)
Heidi Rasikari (ECHA), April 26, 2018 An UFI (with prefix) looks like:
UFI: N1QV-R02N-J00M-WQD5
The UFI must be printed on the packaging where it is easy to find, near the hazard label elements or bar code, or if it is an unpackaged product, on the safety data sheet.
Data handling
A company preparing, modifying or repackaging a mixture (down stream user, „manufacturer“ of mixture) submits the chemical composition with toxicological information, as well as additional information such as product trade name, packaging and colour, via the ECHA to member states‘ appointed bodies (e.g. poison control centers). Before they submit the dataset a UFI was created e.g. by using ECHA’s UFI generator webtool. Finally the company prints the UFI on the label. A UFI is always assigned to one mixture (or several very similar mixtures), but the UFI may be used in different packaging varieties or brand names. Multiple UFI's may be assigned to the same mixture.
The chemical composition of the UFI is kept secret and available only to the ECHA and connected poison centres.
UFI is mandated from January 1, 2021 for products for consumer or professional use, and from January 1, 2024 for new products for industrial use. Existing mixtures that are already notified at a national poison centre may need labeling from January 2025.
References
External links
Safety
Labels
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