The sanitary certificate must be legalized by an official authority in the country of production or export. Special marking regulations exist concerning a few products, e.g., pharmaceuticals and chemicals, and Sweden has exacting labeling requirements for foods. Its health, sanitary and labeling rules are very strict and its laboratories have sophisticated capability to monitor product quality. A retail-size food package must show the name of the manufacturer, packer or importer, commercial name of the product, net metric weights or volume, ingredients in descending order of weight, last recommended date of consumption, and storage instructions if perishable or intended for infants. Mandatory information described above must in principal be labeled in Swedish.
Swedish importers are helpful in arranging proper labeling information.
Inspection and food labeling requirements were changed to conform to EU regulations when Sweden became a member of the EU on January 1, 1995. Standards Sweden uses the metric system, and products for sale in Sweden should be adapted to it whenever possible. Although the United States does not use the metric system, it is advisable that U.S. manufacturers adapt their products to metric standards. Exporters not using the metric system have a serious disadvantage in world markets where buyers are reluctant to accept products that are non-metric. Since the diversity of foreign standards, regulations, inspection procedures, and certification requirements can constitute a considerable barrier to increasing U.S. exports, American firms should keep abreast of standards abroad.