On Feb 15, 2024, Macau SAR released the Food Additives Usage Standard in Food (hereafter referred to as the Standard), stipulating approved food additives, food categories permitted to be added with food additives, and maximum doses of food additives in specific food categories. The Standard is not applicable to food for special dietary use (excluding infant and older infant formula food, infant formula food for special medical purposes, and supplementary baby food), flavorings, processing aids, and colorants used for marking purposes or on the peel of citrus fruits. It will come into effect on May 1, 2024. Upon enforcement, the existing Colorants Usage Standard in Food, Sweeteners Usage Standard in Food, and Preservative and Antioxidant Usage Standard in Food will be rescinded simultaneously.
The Standard was developed to better align with the international standard and further optimize the food supervision mechanism in Macau. The Standard integrates the existing standards for the usage of colorants, sweeteners, preservatives and antioxidants, and also adjusts some of their usage requirements by modifying usage limits and introducing new varieties. Additionally, the Standard covers the usage requirements for some other commonly used food additives, including emulsifiers, acidity regulators, food stabilizers, anti-caking agents, flavor enhancers, leavening agents, etc.
The following are some key points of the food additive usage requirements stipulated by the Standard:
Only food additives specified in the Appendices One and Three are permitted to be used in food;
The maximum doses of food additives specified in the Appendice One are based on appropriate production needs, unless otherwise specified in the Appendice three;
The use of food additives are prohibited in food categories listed in the Appendix Two, unless otherwise specified in the Appendix Three;
The use of food additives should comply with good manufacturing practices, including food additives meeting food-grade quality standards and achieving the desired effect with minimal dose, etc;
Food additives may be indirectly introduced into food (excluding infant and older infant formula food, infant formula food for special medical purposes, and supplementary baby food ) through both food raw materials and other ingredients, under the conditions that the food additives are permitted to be used in the raw materials and other ingredients, the doses in the raw materials and other ingredients adhere to the specified limits, and the doses in the final food do not exceed the corresponding limits.
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