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On June 28, 2025, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the National Health Commission (NHC) of China jointly issued an official notice updating the List of Non-Edible Substances That May Be Illegally Added to Food. The update adds sildenafil analogues and tadalafil analogues, which are commonly used in erectile dysfunction medications, aiming to strengthen oversight on unauthorized ingredients in food products.
Detailed Updates
Substances | Recommended Test Method |
Sildenafil analogues | BJS 202405 Determination of Compounds such as Sildenafil and Tadalafil in Food, and other valid supplementary methods for food testing. |
Tadalafil analogues | BJS 202405 Determination of Compounds such as Sildenafil and Tadalafil in Food, and other valid supplementary methods for food testing. |
List of Non-Edible Substances That May Be Illegally Added to Food
To crack down on the illegal addition of non-edible substances and the misuse of food additives, the former health authorities, including the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), issued six successive batches of "blacklists". These earlier editions of the List of Non-Edible Substances That May Be Illegally Added to Food are summarized in the table below.
No. | Substances | May be added to | Test method |
1 | Rongalite | dried bean curd, silk noodles, flour, bamboo shoots | GB/T 21126-2007; |
2 | Sudan red | chili powder, chili-containing food (chili sauce, spicy condiments) | GB/T 19681-2005 |
3 | Basic Orang II | beancurd sheet | Basic Orang II |
4 | Melamine | milk and dairy products | GB/T 22388-2008 GB/T 22400-2008 |
5 | Boric acid and borax | Yoda, meat balls, cold noodles, dumpling wrapper | / |
6 | Sodium thiocyanate | milk and dairy products | / |
7 | Rhodamine B | condiment | / |
8 | Pigment green | tea | / |
9 | Auramine O | bean products | / |
10 | industrial formaldehyde | sea cucumber, dried squid, blood curd | SC/T 3025-2006 |
11 | industrial caustic soda | sea cucumber, dried squid, fresh and raw milk | / |
12 | carbon monoxide | tuna, salmon | / |
13 | sodium sulphide | MSG | / |
14 | industrial sulphuer | white sugar, pepper, candied fruit, white fungus, longan, carrots, ginger, etc. | / |
15 | industrial dte | millet, corn flour, cooked meat, etc. | / |
16 | Pericarpium Papaveris | hotpot condiments and snacks | refer to methods developed by Shanghai Institute of Food and Drug |
17 | leather hydrolysate | milk and dairy products, milk drinks | / |
18 | Potassium bromate | wheat flour | GB/T 20188-2006 |
19 | β-lactamase | milk and dairy products | LC |
20 | Dimethyl fumarate | pastry | GC |
21 | waste edible oil | edible oil | / |
22 | industrial mineral oil | aging rice | / |
23 | industrial gelatine | ice crean, pig skin aspic | / |
24 | Industrial alcohol | adulterated wine | / |
25 | DDVP | ham, dried fish, salted fish | GB/T 5009.20-2003 |
26 | hair water | soy bean sauce | / |
27 | industrial acetic acid | adulterated edible vinegar | GB/T5009.41-2003 |
28 | clenbuterol hydrochloride, ractopamine | port, beef, mutton, liver | GB/T22286-2008 |
29 | Nitrofurans | pork, poultry, animal aquatic products | GB/T 21311-2007 |
30 | zeranol | beef, mutton and liver, milk | GB/T 21982-2008 |
31 | antibiotic residue | pork | / |
32 | palliative | pork | refer to GB/T 20763-2006 |
33 | fluorescent whitening substance | agaricus bisporus, enoki mushroom, Pleurotus nebrodensis, flour | / |
34 | Industrial magnesium chloride | fungus | / |
35 | aluminium phosphide | fungus | / |
36 | Filling raw materials bleaching agent | baked food | / |
37 | Orange II sodium salt | yellow croaker, Abalone sauce, pickled and stewed meat products, thick broad-bean sauce, etc. | / |
38 | chloroamphenicol | uncooked aquatic products, meat, hog casing, honey | GB/T 22338-2008 |
39 | quinolones | Malatang | / |
40 | Sodium silicate | flour products | / |
41 | malachite green | fish | GB20361-2006 |
42 | urotropine | dried bean curd, rice noodles | / |
43 | Sodium pentachlorophenol | crab | SC/T 3030-2006 |
44 | olaquindox | aquaculture feed | SC/T 3019-2004 |
45 | Basic Yellow | large yellow croaker | / |
46 | sulfadimidine | roast meat | GB20759-2006 |
47 | dipterex | pickled food | GB/T5009.20-2003 |
48 | Phthalates, primarily including: Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) Diisononyl phthalate (DINP) Diphenyl phthalate Dimethyl phthalate (DMP) Diethyl phthalate (DEP) Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) Dipentyl phthalate (DPP) Dihexyl phthalate (DHXP) Dinonyl phthalate (DNP) Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) Dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP) Di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP) Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) Di(2-methoxyethyl) phthalate (DMEP) Di(2-ethoxyethyl) phthalate (DEEP) Di(2-butoxyethyl) phthalate (DBEP) Di(4-methyl-2-pentyl) phthalate (BMPP), and similar substances.
| Emulsifier-type food additives, other food additives or foods containing emulsifiers. | GB/T 21911 |
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