On 16 November 2012, China Ministry of Health (MOH) released a list of 261 additives for food packing materials, which is open for public consultation until 10 December 2012. This is the third and last batch released in response to the "clean-up" procedures for food packing materials jointly published by seven ministries including MOH, MIIT, MOA, SFDA, etc.
The first batch of 196 additives and the second batch of 118 additives for food packing materials were released on the MOH website respectively on 9 February and 5 July , 2011 for public comments. Finally, the MOH approved 301 additives by selecting those from the first and second batch of draft approvals on 16 April , 2012.
Currently, besides the 959 additives specified in the Hygienic Standards for Uses of Additives in Food Containers and Packaging Materials (GB 9685-2008), there are 301 additives approved in the MOH announcement No.5-2012 and another 3 new additives approved in the MOH announcement No.11-2012, together with 107 resin items released in the MOH Announcement No.23-2011.
According to the "clean-up" procedures, additives not approved for food packing, containers, production tools or equipment in GB 9685-2008, are required to submit petitions for clearance. Other additives that haven’t been officially approved in the GB 9685-2008 or other MOH announcements should seek clearance in compliance with the Provisions on the Management of Administrative Approval for New Varieties of Food Related Products.
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