China CFDA to Revise Examination Rules for Beverage Production Licensing

Takehome:

• The examination rules for beverage production licensing (exposure draft) have been released, which also includes major product standards involved in the production process as well as the inspection items & methods and labeling requirements.

On Mar. 31, 2017, China CFDA released the 2017 version of “Detailed Rules for Examination of Beverage Production Licensing” (Exposure Draft), which is open to public consultation until May 1, 2017. This new rule should be applied in conjunction with “General Rules for Food Production Licensing”.

This new rule mainly applies to bottled drinking water, carbonated beverages, tea beverages, fruit and vegetable juices, protein beverages, solid beverages, and other beverages, regarding the production site examination, equipment and facilities examination, layout and technical process examination, personnel examination, management system examination, product inspection for trial-production, etc.

Major product standards involved in the production process as well as the inspection items and methods have been provided in the new rule. Labeling requirements for each subcategory of beverage have also been outlined in detail.

Major product standards are selected as below:

Bottled (barreled) drinking water:

• GB 19298-2014 National Food Safety Standard Prepackaged Water for Drinking
• GB 8537-2008 Drinking Natural Mineral Water
• GB 5749-2006 Standards for Drinking Water Quality
• GB 17323-1998 Bottled Purified Water for Drinking
• GB 19304-2003 Hygienic Specifications of Factory for Packing Drinking Water

Carbonated beverages:

• GB/T 10789-2015 General Standard for Beverage
• GB 7101-2015 National Food Safety Standard Beverages
• GB/T 10792-2008 Carbonated Beverages
• GB 12695-2016 National Food Safety Standard Hygienic Practice for Beverage Production

Tea beverages:

• GB/T 21733-2008 Tea Beverages
• GB 12695-2016 National Food Safety Standard Hygienic Practice for Beverage Production
• QB/T 4068-2010 Tea Concentrates for Food Industry

Fruit and vegetable juices:

• GB 17325-2015 National Food Safety Standard Concentrated Fruit and Vegetable Juice for Food Industry
• GB/T 31121-2014 Fruit & Vegetable Juices and Fruit & Vegetable Beverage

Protein beverages:

• GB/T 21732-2008 Milk Beverages
• GB/T 30885-2014 Plant Protein Beverage - Soymilk and Soymilk Beverage
• QB/T 4222-2011 Mixed Protein Beverage

Solid beverages:

• GB/T 29602-2013 Solid Beverages
• GB/T 18738-2006 Instant Soy Milk and Soy Milk with Dairy Product Powder

Other beverages:

• GB 15266-2009 Sports Beverages
• GB/T 30767-2014 Coffee Based Beverages
• GB/T 31326-2014 Botanical beverage
• QB/T 4221-2011 Cereal Beverage

Reference link

China CFDA Draft Regulation