On September 8, the Department of Food Safety Standards, Risk Surveillance and Assessment under the China National Health Commission (NHC) unveiled the exposure drafts of 18 national food safety standards on food additives, which include six newly established standards, nine newly revised standards, and three amendment sheets. These drafts are available for public comments prior to October 10, 2022.
Six Newly Established GB Standards on Food Additives
S/N | Name |
1 | GB ××××-×××× National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Advantame |
2 | GB ××××-×××× National Food Safety Standard Food Additive 5-Pentyl-3H-furan-2-one |
3 | GB ××××-×××× National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Soapbark Extract |
4 | GB ××××-×××× National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Iron Tartrate |
5 | GB ××××-×××× National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Sodium Formate |
6 | GB ××××-×××× National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Theaflavin |
Sodium formate/ formic acid (CAS 141-53-7) has been approved in China as a synthetic flavoring and is included in Table B.3 of GB 2760-2014.
The food additives mentioned above have been listed in 2019 or 2020 National Food Safety Standard Project Plan.
Nine Newly revised GB Standards on Food Additives
S/N | Name |
1 | GB 2760-×××× National Food Safety Standard Standard for Uses of Food Additives |
2 | GB 1886.174-×××× National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Enzymes for Food Industry |
3 | GB 1886.256-×××× National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Methylcellulose |
4 | GB 1886.98-×××× National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Lactitol (aka 4-β-D-galactopyranosyl-D-sorbitol) |
5 | GB 1886.96-×××× National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Pentaerythritol Ester of Wood Rosin |
6 | GB 1886.227-×××× National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Morpholine Fatty Acid Salt |
7 | GB 1886.104-×××× National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Quinoline Yellow |
8 | GB 25572-×××× National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Calcium Hydroxide |
9 | GB 29946-×××× National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Cellulose |
Proposed revision to GB 2760
With the technique improving, the restrictions for using some food additives are proposed to be removed. Check more details on China’s latest draft of GB 2760.
Major amendments on enzymes for the food industry
This new standard adds definitions and technical requirements for “excipients for enzyme preparations” and “immobilized enzyme preparations”.
97 enzyme preparations are added to the list in the appendix.
The indicators of Escherichia coli are revised.
Others
Some GB standards add or modify the test methods for some substances. For instance, GB 25572-2010 currently uses graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) and dithizone spectrophotometry to determine the lead content. The new GB standard draft of food additive calcium hydroxide adopts the test methods specified in GB 5009.75-2014 or GB 5009.12-2017.
Three Amendment Sheets on Food Additives
S/N | Name |
1 | GB 1886.100-2015 National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Disodium Edetate |
2 | GB 29209-2012 National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Sodium Sulfate |
3 | GB 1886.43-2015 National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Calcium Ascorbate |
The amendments mainly involve formulas. For instance, in GB 1886.43-2015, due to previous editorial error, carbon-oxygen single bond in the carbon ring is revised to carbon-oxygen double bond.
We provide full-scale global food market entry services (including product registration, ingredient review, regulatory consultation, customized training, market research, branding strategy). Please contact us to discuss how we can help you by 
