On 6 Dec., NHFPC issued 75 new food safety national standards including General Rules for Labeling of Food Additives and General Rules for Flavorings, which will be formally implemented since June 1, 2015 and June 1, 2014 respectively.
Additionally 8 food safety national standards relating to inspection methods and 65 food safety national standards concerning quality specifications of food additives have been promulgated, which also include the stipulations on examining choline, urease and L-carnitine in infant or baby food and dairy products.
General Rules for Labeling of Food Additives (GB 29924-2013) stipulates the requirements for labeling, instructions and packaging of food additives. The terms, definitions, basic contents and relevant requirements on the labeling of food additives are regulated in this Standard, which was developed with reference to relevant international standards and the actual conditions of production, operation and utilization of food additives in China, which further specifies the management on food additive labeling.
General Rules for Flavorings (GB 29938-2013) is the generally recognized standard regarding quality specifications and safety requirements of flavorings. It stipulates the quality specifications of more than 1,600 types of flavorings.
Professor Jin from Shanghai Research Institute of Fragrance & Flavor Industry outlined that “Standards for Uses of Food Additives (GB 2760-2011) includes 1,853 types of natural and synthetic flavorings. Prior to the enactment of General Rules for Flavorings (GB 29938-2013), there were only national standards for approximately 100 types of flavorings. Because there are so many new types of flavorings approved for use, it is impossible to formulate standards for single product before GB 29938-2013 is officially enacted. Furthermore, a production licensing system has been implemented for producing flavorings. Under this system, flavorings without relevant license are prohibited from being produced. This General Rules for Flavorings (GB 29938-2013) is hereby enacted to resolve such conflict, which is of great significance for enterprises producing flavorings.”
In addition, some of the national standards have been updated as follows:
Name of standard | Old version | New version |
Microbiological Examination of Food Hygiene – Examination of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus | GB/T 4789.7-2008 | GB 4789.7-2013 |
Microbiological Examination of Food Hygiene –Examination of Commercial Sterilization | GB/T 4789.26-2003 | GB 4789.26-2013 |
Microbiological Examination of Food Hygiene – Requirement on Quality of Culture Mediums and Reagents | GB/T 4789.28-2003 | GB 4789.28-2013 |
Microbiological Examination of Food Hygiene – Examination of Salmonellae, Shigellae, and DiarrhoeaCausative Escherichia Coli by Means of the Diagnostic Typing Phase Set for Enterobacteriaceae | GB/T 4789.31-2003 | GB 4789.31-2013 |
Microbiological Examination of Food Hygiene – Enumeration of Faecal Coliforms | GB/T 4789.39-2008 | GB 4789.39-2013 |
Determination of Toxic Equivalencies of Dioxin and Dioxin-like Compounds in Foods | GB/T 5009.205-2007 | GB 5009.205-2013 |
Determination of Choline in Infant or Baby Food and Dairy Products | GB 5413.20-1997 | GB 5413.20-2013 |
Determination of Urease in Infant or Baby Food and Dairy Products | GB 5413.31-1997 | GB 5413.31-2013 |
Food Additive – Gelatin | GB 6783-1994 | GB 6783-2013 |
For detailed information related to these standards, please contact .
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