China Issues New GB Standards for Food Contact Paper, Bamboo and Wood Materials & Articles

On July 28, 2022, China National Health Commission (NHC) jointly with the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) unveiled 36 new national food safety standards and 3 amendment sheets, including two major food contact materials (FCM) standards, namely, GB 4806.8-2022 Paper and Paperboard in Contact with Foodstuffs and GB 4806.12-2022 Bamboo and Wood in Contact with Foodstuffs. The details and interpretations are as follows:

1. GB 4806.8-2022 Paper and Paperboard in Contact with Foodstuffs 

This standard will come into force on June 30, 2023, and serve as the first revised version of the current GB 4806.8-2016 Paper and Paperboard in Contact with Foodstuffs. Compared to the current version, major revisions include:

• Expanded definition: in the new version, silicone paper is also defined as one kind of paper articles.

• Detailed sensory requirements: the new version specifies that if decolorization happens to unbleached and uncolored paper and paperboard, this situation will not be considered as abnormal coloring.

• Updated migration index: the consumption amount of potassium permanganate was deleted in the new version, because lignin, total sugar and other natural substances in paper products are the main contribution sources of potassium permanganate consumption, and these natural substances will not cause harm to human body.

• Updated residue limits: the new version added the limits for two substances, namely, 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol and 3-Chloro-1,2-Propanediol, whose residue limits are not allowed to be detected (DL=2ug/L) and 12 ug/L respectively.

• Clarified sampling method: for the testing of residue limits, the sampling area of formaldehyde is one side only.

2. GB 4806.12-2022 Bamboo and Wood in Contact with Foodstuffs 

This standard is newly established with effect from December 30, 2022, whose consultation draft version was released back in 2016. The major contents lie in GB 4806.12-2022 include:

• Application scope: GB 4806.12-2022 applies to bamboo and wood in contact with foodstuffs.

• Definition: Bamboo and wood products mentioned in this standard refer to materials and products made of bamboo, wood or cork wood, including corks and plant fiberboard products.

• Sensory requirements: normal color; no burr, moth, odor, mildew or other dirt. The immersion solution obtained from the migration test should not have the deterioration of sensory properties such as sedimentation, odor, abnormal coloring, etc.

• Major migration index: total migration ≤10mg/dm²; formaldehyde ≤ 15mg/kg; sulfur dioxide (water) ≤ 10mg/kg; pentachlorophenol and its salts (calculated by pentachlorophenol) ≤ 0.15ug/kg.

• Major residue limits: Thiabendazole ≤ 1.2mg/kg; O-phenylphenol ≤ 4.8mg/kg; Imazalil ≤ 0.4mg/kg; Biphenyl ≤ 0.6mg/kg.

• Other requirements: microorganisms in bamboo and wood products that are expected to be in direct contact with food and are not directly used after disinfection or cleaning shall comply with GB 14934, except bamboo and wood products that need to be peeled, shelled or cleaned before eating, cooking or processing. Bamboo and wood products using paint, ink and/or adhesive shall also comply with the relevant provisions. 

To sum up, paper, bamboo and wood materials and articles are very popular and widely used in the food industry. Hence, the release of new standards for these products will greatly affect the whole supply chain of FCM manufacturing and application. Especially, the release of GB 4806.12-2022 filled the gap of legislative supervision on food contact bamboo and wood products, which will play an important role in ensuring consumer health, standardizing enterprise behavior, and maintaining good market order. Stakeholders shall timely respond to the changes brought by the new standards and ensure compliance before the implementation dates.

All the full text of GB standards and old versions mentioned above are available on ChemLinked Food Regulatory Database. For English version, please feel free to contact us.