SFDA Issues List of Restricted Chemicals Used in Health Food

First batch of restricted or banned chemicals used in health food involves six types of health food products

In order to crack down on the illegal practice of restricted or banned chemicals used as food additives in health food, China State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) has issued last Friday a first batch list of chemicals that are often illegally used as food additives in health food. The agency reminds, however, that the supplied list does not contain all illegal conditions exposed in the industry and it calls on each local competent authority to collect information about illegal food additives for the knowledge of SFDA.

The following table presents the first batch list of restricted chemicals that are likely to be used illegally in health food.

Product type of health food	Chemical names of illegal additives
Weight loss	Sibutramine, ephedrine, fenfluramine,
Blood sugar reduction or regulation	Tolbutamide, glibenclamide, gliclazide, glipizide, gliquidone, glimepiride, rosiglitazone maleate, repaglinide, pioglitazone hydrochloride, metformin hydrochloride, phenformin hydrochloride,
Anti-fatigue (alleviating physical fatigue)	acetildenafil, vardenafil, hydroxyhomosildenafil, sildenafil, hydroxyhomosildenafil, tadalafei, norneo Sildenafil and other phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors
Immunity enhancement or regulation	acetildenafil, vardenafil, hydroxyhomosildenafil, sildenafil, hydroxyhomosildenafil, tadalafei, norneo Sildenafil and other phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors
Improving sleep	Diazapam, nitrazepam, clonazepam, chlordiazepoxide, oxazepam, midazolam maleate, lorazepam, estazolam, alprazolam, triazolam, barbital, phenobarbital, amobarbital, secobarbital, chlormezanone
Lowering blood pressure or blood fat	Atenolol, clonidine hydrochloride, hydrochlorothiazide, captopril, prazosin, reserpine, nifedipine