China Consults on GBT Standard for Solid Beverage

On July 26, 2023, China Beverage Industry Association (CBIA) Issued an exposure draft of GB/T 29602 Quality Requirements for Solid Beverage, proposing to replace GB/T 29602-2013 Solid Beverages. Key changes cover definition, product categories, technical requirements, labels and packaging. Any comments shall be submitted before September 26, 2023.

Revised definition of solid beverage

• The draft revises the definition of solid beverage to “Beverages made from one or several edible raw materials, with or without adding other food raw materials, food additives, and processed into powdered, granular solid forms, for drinking after dissolving or brewing”.

• The new definition emphasizes the “beverages” attribute of solid beverages and removes the "block form" terminology in the 2013 version. This change aims to avoid the misapplication of the solid beverage standard by some companies producing block-shaped non-beverage foods such as yogurt cubes and agar cubes.

Reorganized product categories

The draft proposes the addition of new product types (marked in green), revisions to existing types (marked in orange), and removal of certain product categories (marked in red), compared to the 2013 version. The frameworks of revised and current product categories are shown below:

Product Categories of Solid Beverage (Proposed)

Product Categories of Solid Beverage as per GB/T 29602-2013 (Current)

Key changes involve:

• Deleting the "other" categories under each type to better define and limit the scope of solid beverages. This prevents the misapplication of the standard by some non-beverage solid food enterprises.

• Removing "powdered milk beverage" and "other powdered protein beverage" subcategories due to compliance issues found in illegal operations involving these types of beverages.

• Deleting "powdered beverages for special use" to avoid confusion with special foods requiring registration, such as food for special medical purposes (FSMP).

• Introducing new categories such as "vegetable fat powder" and "powdered lactic acid bacteria beverage" in response to their growing market popularity.

Updated labeling and packaging requirements

The draft aligns with the labeling requirements in the "Announcement regarding Strengthening the Quality and Safety Supervision of Solid Beverage". For instance, it mandates a minimum 20% warning statement area for certain types of solid beverage stating "this product cannot replace special food including FSMP, infant formula and health food". It further clarifies the calculation method for the warning statement area, factoring in the entire area of the warning statement text and its background, based on its display format.

Other key labeling requirements include:

• Prohibiting the term "meal replacement". This prevents misleading claims like weight loss.

• Indicating fruit juice content after brewing for powdered fruit tea beverage.

• Allowing tea ingredient names to be used for powdered tea beverages, with a requirement that at least 80% of the named ingredient makes up the total content.

• Indicating caffeine content after brewing for powdered coffee beverage.

• Allowing claims about coffee variety or origin, with a requirement that at least 50% of the specific coffee makes up the total coffee ingredient content.

Regarding packaging, the draft proposes the use of protective barrier materials and encourages avoiding excessive or unnecessary packaging to minimize plastic pollution. It recommends the use of eco-friendly materials when protective barriers are necessary and advises against the use of plastic foam materials.

Adjusted technical requirements

Key technical requirement updates include:

• Prohibiting the use of hydrolysed protein (except Collagen (Peptide)) in powdered protein beverages to reinforce the true nature of beverage and avoid misrepresenting them as FSMP or milk powders.

• Differentiating nutritional and regular types of powdered vegetable protein beverage and powdered mixed protein beverage with varied protein content requirements, shown as below.

Related articles:

• More Stringent Supervision for the Labeling and Promotion of Solid Beverage in China

• False Advertisement of Solid Beverage Sold as FSMP Linked to Bone Deformity in Children

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