The unique formula identifier (UFI) is a code printed on products with hazardous mixtures in the

European Economic Area The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Asso ...

(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 questions ...

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
ECHA The UFI is controlled by the

European Chemicals Agency The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA; ) is an agency of the European Union working for the safe use of chemicals. It manages the technical and administrative aspects of the implementation of the European Union regulation called Registration, E ...

(ECHA).

Format

The UFI takes the form of a

prefix A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. Particularly in the study of languages, a prefix is also called a preformative, because it alters the form of the word to which it is affixed. Prefixes, like other affixes, can b ...

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
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 (downstream 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

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