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UFI code to provide clear identification of detergent and cleaning agent mixtures and save lives

1/2025, 03.01.2025

From 2025, the code will be mandatory for all household products classified as hazardous

For the past four years, it has been mandatory for all new household products and commercial products classified as hazardous to health in the European Economic Area (EEA) to bear a Unique Formula Identifier (UFI) code. Starting from this year, the UFI will also be required for products that were already sold in an EEA member state before 2021. The UFI is used to clearly identify the mixture of a product available on the market that has been reported to the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and forwarded to the seven Poison Centres (PCs) of the German federal states (‘Laender’). Why is this important? Because chemical products such as cleaning agents and detergents can be potentially hazardous to health in the event of an accident. For instance, if they are handled by children, a brief moment of carelessness can lead to serious poisoning accidents. With a UFI on the label, a PC can clearly identify the product. The BfR was one of the initiators of the UFI 13 years ago and played a key role in its conceptual development and technical implementation. “The 16-digit code consisting of numbers and letters provides important information about ingredients and properties and thus enables targeted medical advice,” says BfR Vice-President Professor Matthias Greiner.

From 1 January 2025, the UFI is also mandatory for products classified as hazardous to health that were already sold in an EEA member state before 2021. The code must appear on the label or inner packaging and begin with the three letters “UFI:”. Products used purely for industrial purposes are an exception. Here, the UFI may be provided on the safety data sheet alone. New industrial products have had to carry the code since 2024.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) developed the technical requirements for product notifications and has made them generally available. Using the UFI generator on the ECHA website, companies can generate the code. They can then communicate it to the BfR together with the mixture of their products and the properties thereof using the Poison Centres Notification (PCN) format, which has been harmonised across Europe. The BfR has published a detailed description of the PCN process on its website as well as answers to frequently asked questions about product notifications.

The BfR is the competent authority for Germany for receiving product notifications in accordance with Article 45 and Annex VIII of the European CLP Regulation as well as Section 10 of the national Detergents and Cleaning Agents Act. The data submitted are validated at the BfR and then made available to the seven Poison Centres of the German federal states (‘Laender’) for emergency medical advice.

Further information on the BfR website on the PCN process

Video tutorials on the PCN process:

About the BfR

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) in Germany. The BfR advises the Federal Government and the States (‘Laender’) on questions of food, chemicals and product safety. The BfR conducts independent research on topics that are closely linked to its assessment tasks.

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