China Consults on 21 GB Food Standards, Involving FCM, Dairy Products and Food Additives

On December 11, 2023, National Health Commission (NHC) announced to seek public comments on 21 national food safety standards, involving food contact materials (FCM), dairy products, testing in Chemistry, Microbiology, and Toxicology, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for health food, Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) and food additives. Any comments can be submitted online prior to February 10, 2024.

List of the Proposed GB Standards

Key Changes in New/Revised Standards

Food Contact Materials

GB 4806.10-×××× Paints and Coatings in Contact with Foodstuffs

Compared to the current GB 4806.10-2010, key revisions in this draft revision include:

• Application scope: The draft expands the scope to include paper paints and coatings, which were explicitly excluded in GB 4806.10-2010.

• Raw materials: The draft updates Annex A Basic Raw Materials and Usage Requirements Allowed for Food Contact Paints and Coatings, including increasing the number of listed raw materials from 105 to 358, aligning the names of raw materials with other relevant standards, and adjusting certain indicators, such as the limit of chromium and bisphenol A, as well as the migration limit of antimony in PET.

• Additives: The draft moves the requirements for additives from the additive section to the "Raw Material Requirements" section. It specifies that the use of additives in food contact paints and coatings must adhere to GB 9685 and relevant announcements.

• Physical and chemical indicators: The draft adjusts the migration test conditions for potassium permanganate consumption and heavy metals. The applicable scope of high-temperature conditions has been modified from "cooking and drinking utensils" to "cookware”. In addition, it adds restrictive requirements for the total migration of aromatic primary amines, such as the requirement to conduct migration testing for aromatic primary amines on the final coated product after the coating has completed its curing process.

• Migration test: The draft optimizes the testing method for the possible deformation, swelling, and rusting of surface coatings on all parts of metal cans, including can bodies, can covers, pull rings, etc., when in contact with acidic food simulants.

• Labeling: The draft not only requires the compliance of labeling with the general requirements, but also mandates the labeling of coating materials and substrates in accordance with relevant standards.

In addition, three newly formulated FCM standards are among the GB standards under consultation, which focus on the determination of migration amount and release amount in FCM. They are:

• GB ××××-×××× Food Contact Materials and Articles Determination of Migration Amount of 2,2,4,4-Tetramethyl-1,3-Cyclobutanediol

• GB ××××-×××× Food Contact Materials and Articles Determination of Migration Amount of 4,4 '- Bisphenol and 1,1' - Sulfonylbi (4-Chlorobenzene)

• GB ××××-×××× Food Contact Materials and Articles Determination of Migration Amount and Release Amount of N-nitrosamine Compounds.

Dairy products

Among the 21 national standards, there are 3 product standards for dairy products, which are listed below:

• GB 19645-×××× National Food Safety Standard Pasteurized Milk

• GB 25190-×××× National Food Safety Standard Sterilized Milk

• GB ××××-×××× National Food Safety Standard High Temperature Pasteurized Milk

For detailed interpretation of the three draft standards, please refer to China Consults on National Standards for Pasteurized Milk, High Temperature Pasteurized Milk and Sterilized Milk.

GHP and GMP

GB 14881-×××× General Hygienic Practice for Food Production

In comparison to the 2013 version, the revised GB 14881 mainly makes the following modifications:

• Updating various definitions such as clean operation area and adding content concerning allergen management.

• Incorporating the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) along with their application guidelines.

• Introducing management requirements for parasites and measures to address noise.

• Providing further clarification on the requirements and textual expressions related to water used for production and processing. Also, it optimizes the requirements pertaining to vegetation and landscaping.

GB 17405-×××× Good Manufacture Practice for Health Food

This revision makes significant adjustments to the 1998 version. Based on the actual situation of health food, the major adjustments made in this revision are as follows:

• Adding general principles for the division of production areas, control requirements for clean operation areas, and requirements for pre-processing operation areas.

• Adding requirements for facilities and equipment such as the entrances to clean operation areas, secondary water supply facilities, facilities for producing water used for production and processing, raw materials pre-processing facilities , solvent recovery during extraction facilities, and cleaning systems.

• Clarifying requirements for animal and plant-based raw materials, microbial raw materials, raw material extracts, complex nutrients, water used for production and processing, and other raw and auxiliary materials.

• Adding technical requirements for the registration/filing of health food, respective requirements for processes within or not within the same clean operation area, material balance requirements, requirements for cleaning and clearing the production area, and requirements for switching products on the production line.

• Detailing the control requirements for specific processes and the management requirements for allergenic substances.

Food Additive

GB 1886.41-×××× Food Additives Xanthan

Compared to the 2015 version, the revised GB 1886.41 mainly changes the physiochemical indicators and microbiological limits. Major revisions are shown as follows:

• Physiochemical indicators: The revision adds indicators and testing methods for xanthan content as well as sopropanol and arsenic. In addition, it modifies the testing method for total nitrogen.

• Microbiological limits: The pre-processing methods for microbiological testing is modified.

Testing in Chemistry, Microbiology, and Toxicology

This consultation comprises three revised GB standards related to physical and chemical testing, eight newly established GB standards related to physical and chemical testing, one revised GB standard for microbiological testing, and one newly established standard for toxicology testing.