How do I get an EMB packing code?

Verified 06 January 2022 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Pre-packaged products, whether food or non-food, are subject to controls.

These make it possible to guarantee consumers a complete information on the content and composition of the products.

Each product duty bear an EMB packing code on its label which allows identification 

  • the packer or packer (the person actually carrying out the prepackaging),
  • the manufacturer of the product for which the prepackaging is carried out
  • and the importer (for products from countries outside the European Union).

To obtain a packaging code (EMB), you must make a written request, on free paper, to the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations (DDPP).

You must include the following information in your email:

  • Business name or corporate name
  • EPA Code
  • Kbis Extract
  • Place of packaging
  • Destination and nature of the product
  • Type of packaging
  • Volume of product packaged
  • Packager Name

Once obtained, this code is definitive and unique.

The packaging code is in the form " EMB ” followed by 5 digits.

It matches the Insee official geographical code from the department and the municipality, where the product comes from.

It can be completed by 1 or 2 letters designating the company, if several companies are located in the same commune.

In some cases, it can replace the name of the manufacturer when the manufacturing is subcontracted.

The packing code is supplemented by a health stamp (oval pictogram) when the establishment prepares, treats, processes, handles or stores animal foodstuffs or foodstuffs of animal origin (cheese, cold cuts, meat, etc.).

This health stamp includes the packer code, incorporating the first 5 digits of the health approval number, and is preceded by the letters FR followed by the letters CE.

Example :

‘EN 38.012.001 EC’

The words European Union (EU) shall be written in the language of the country of origin: EC in France, EG in Germany, ...

On the other hand, the EMB code numbers may differ from those on the health stamp, since a food can be processed in one place and packaged in another.