China Consults on 19 National Food Safety Standards, Involving Food Flavorings, Sterilized Milk and Contaminants in Foods

On October 8, 2024, the National Health Commission (NHC) announced a public consultation on 19 national food safety standards. These include six food additive standards, one contaminant standard, one product standard, eleven testing standards. Any comments can be submitted before October 18, 2024 via the online system.

List of food safety standards under consultation:

Name	Status
Food additive
GB 29938-xxxx National Food Safety Standard General Rules for Flavorings	Revised
GB 26404-xxxx National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Erythritol	Revised
GB 1886.243-xxxx National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Sodium Alga Acid (Also known as Sodium Alginate)	Revised
National Food Safety Standard Food Additives of 6 Colorants Including Brilliant Blue	Amendment Sheet
NationalFood Safety Standard Food Additives of 9 Emulsifiers Including Fatty Acid Mono- and Diglycerides	Amendment Sheet
National Food Safety Standard Food Additives of 4 Sweeteners Including Maltitol and Maltitol Syrup	Amendment Sheet
Contaminant
GB 2762-2022 National Food Safety Standard Maximum Levels of Contaminants in Foods No.2 Amendment Sheet	Amendment Sheet
Food product
GB 25190-2010 National Food Safety Standard Sterilized Milk No.1 Amendment Sheet	Amendment Sheet
Physical and chemical testing
GB 5009.204-xxxx National Food Safety Standard Determination of Acrylamide in Food	Revised
GB 5009.33-xxxx National Food Safety Standard Determination of Nitrite and Nitrate in Food	Revised
GB xxxx-xxxx National Food Safety Standard Determination of Vitamin C	Revised
GB 5009.278-xxxx National Food Safety Standard Determination of Complexonate in Food	Revised
GB 5009.4-xxxx National Food Safety Standard Determination of Ash in Food	Revised
GB 5009.3-xxxx National Food Safety Standard Determination of Moisture in Food	Revised
GB xxxx-xxxx National Food Safety Standard Determination of Fat in Food	Revised
GB 31604.27-xxxx National Food Safety Standard Food Contact Materials and Articles Determination of Ethylene Oxide and Propylene Oxide and Their Migration Amount	Revised
GB xxxx-xxxx National Food Safety Standard Food Contact Materials and Articles Determination of Migration Amount of Benzoic acid, Phthalic Acid, And Trimellitic Acid	Revised
GB xxxx-xxxx National Food Safety Standard Food Contact Materials and Articles Determination of Migration Amount of Citric Acid Esters and Sebacates	Established
Microbiological testing
GB 4789.12-xxxx National Food Safety Standard Food Microbiological Examination for Clostridium Botulinum and Botulinum Toxin	Revised

Noticeable changes

GB 29938-xxxx National Food Safety Standard General Rules for Flavorings

1. Expanded the definition of food flavorings to include “thermal-processed food flavorings” and “smoked food flavorings.”

2. Clarified that for natural food flavorings derived from seafood, if the total arsenic content is no more than 3 mg/kg, it meets the limit requirement without the need for inorganic arsenic testing. However, if total arsenic exceeds 3 mg/kg, inorganic arsenic testing is required, with a maximum limit of 1.5 mg/kg.

3. Amended the Appendix D: Technical Specifications of Synthetic Food Flavorings.

Added two new flavoring substances (l-Rhamnose, SmokEz C-10) and their technical specifications to Table D.1. Besides, additional technical specifications were added to 16 existing flavoring substances (Geraniol, Nerol, Tetrahydrogeraniol, 1-p-Menthen-4-ol, Isovaleraldehyde, Phenylpropyl aldehyde (3-Phenylpropion aldehyde), α-Damascone, Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone（Neohesperidin DHC）, Styralyl acetate, Isobornyl acetate, γ-Valerolactone, Terpinolene, Ocimene, α-Pinene, β-Pinene, 2-Acetylpyridine).
Removed acetic acid from the Table D.1, as this substance now has a standalone quality standard.
Introduced testing methods to Table D.2 for identifying technical specifications of synthetic food flavorings.

GB 25190-2010 National Food Safety Standard Sterilized Milk No.1 Amendment Sheet

1. Revised the definitions of ultra-high temperature milk and retort sterilized milk to specify that the raw material of sterilized milk must be raw cow or sheep milk.

Ultra-High Temperature Milk: Produced from raw cow (or sheep) milk, heated to at least 132°C in a continuous flow and sterilized for a short time, followed by aseptic filling.
Retort Sterilized Milk: Produced from raw cow (or sheep) milk, whether preheated or not, and sterilized after being filled and sealed.

2. Removed the requirement for milk powder as a raw material, as it is no longer considered a component of sterilized milk.

3. Deleted other provisions related to reconstituted milk.

GB 2762-2022 National Food Safety Standard Maximum Levels of Contaminants in Foods No.2 Amendment Sheet

This draft amendment is based on a comprehensive analysis of heavy metal testing data from meat products across China, along with current industry production capabilities. After review, it was determined that the maximum limits for lead, cadmium, arsenic, and chromium in dried meat products (including dried offal products) can be aligned with limits set for other meat products (including other offal products). This means that the contaminant limits for dried meat products will no longer be calculated based on dehydration or concentration rates from fresh equivalents.