China Issued

On October 31th, China Nutrition Society and National Institute for Nutrition and Health of China CCDC jointly published "Use Norms of “Healthier Choice Symbols (HCS)” for Pre-packaged Food" (Trial). In the press conference, officials stated that pre-packaged food carrying the HCS on the Front-of-package (FOP) will be generally lower in total fat, sodium and sugar. Some are also higher in dietary fiber and calcium compared to similar products within the same food category.

                         Image: Healthier Choice Symbols (HCS) in China

This norm is formulated according to GB 28050-2011 General Rules for Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods and Dietary Nutrient Reference Intake for Chinese Residents (2013 Version), and uses an index system to control indicators like fat, saturated fat, total sugar and sodium. It involves 10 food categories:

1. Dairy products

2. Nuts and seeds

3. Grain products

4. Meat products

5. Aquatic products

6. Egg products

7. Bean products (except the fermentations)

8. Fruits and vegetables

9. Water and drink

10. Other food

Prototype food, foods for special dietary uses and specific groups of people are not applicable. Products which meet the regulatory requirements can label the HCS on the minimum sales unit package.

This HCS/FOP system is designed to encourage enterprises to take practical actions to participate in the establishment of China’s nutrition goals, and gradually achieve different national oil, salt & sugar consumption requirements.

In addition to China, other Asian food safety authorities are increasingly using healthy certification logos for packaged foods that meet certain nutritional criteria to help combat the increase in non-communicable diseases particularly lifestyle related diseases with dietary factors as the major driver in their etiology.

                Image: Healthier Choice Symbols (HCS) in Singapore and Malaysia

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