China Consults on the GB Standard for Cereal-Based Complementary Baby Food

Cereal materials should account for over 50% of the overall components on a dry weight basis. Vitamin C is changed to primary component and the maximum limits for some nutrients are added, such as Vitamin B1 and Calcium. Honey will not be allowed to use in cereal-based complementary baby food.

On Jul. 9th, 2020, CFSA unveiled the exposure draft of GB 10769 National Food Safety Standard Cereal-Based Complementary Foods for Infants and Young Children [1], and the proposed revision mainly involves the product definition, nutrient levels and package requirements. Any comments should be sent back prior to Jul. 17.

The major amendments are listed below:

Product definition and raw materials requirements

The exposure draft clarifies that this standard is applicable to cereal-based complementary food for older infants and young children ranged from 6 to 36 months old.
According to the product definition, millet is newly included as the major raw material for the cereal-based complementary baby food, and the minimum cereal percentage on a dry weight basis increases to 50% from the current 25%.
Honey cannot be used considering that it is easily polluted by clostridium botulinum.
Biscuits, teethers, canned cereal-based complementary food and etc. are classified as other cereal-based complementary baby food

Nutrient level

Vitamin C becomes the primary component (it is optional ingredient in the current version) and its usage level is set at 1.4-7.65 mg/100 kJ (5.9-32 mg/100 kcal).
The maximum limit is stipulated for some primary components (Vitamin B1 and Calcium) and optional components (Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, nicotinic acid, folic acid, pantothenic acid and biotin). Additionally, the nutrient level for nicotinamide and magnesium are newly included.
The total amount of saccharose, fructose, and grape syrup added shall be no greater than 0.6 g/100 kJ (2.5 g/100 kcal).
The calculation method of carbohydrate is newly added; the energy coefficient of dietary fiber is changed to 8 kJ/g; and the energy value for canned cereal-based complementary baby food should be no less than 335 (80) kJ (kcal)/100g.

Microorganism limit

The maximum limit for salmonella is removed and the draft states that the canned cereal-based complementary baby food products should meet the commercial sterilization standard of the canned food.

Others

Carbon dioxide/nitrogen can be used as package medium.

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