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The article was originally published on July 1, 2024, and was updated on October 8, 2024.
Updated on October 8, 2024
Following the consultation, proposal on the establishment of standards for Sulfur Dioxide and Sulfur has not been approved. Other revisions came into effect on October 2, 2024, except for the the renaming of Maltitol syrup, Cyclodextrin syrup, and Polyglycitol syrup which will take effect on on January 1, 2026. The modified regulation can be referenced in the Food Additive Code (MFDS Notice No. 2024-56).
On June 26, 2024, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) issues two drafts (MFDS Notice 2024-3081 and MFDS Notice 2024-3072 of the Food Additive Specifications and Standards (Food Additive Code) for public feedback until August 26, 2024. The revisions are proposed based on the industry’s difficulties related to food additives usage standards during manufacturing. Key points proposed in the draft include:
1. Relaxation of Residue Limit of Sulfites in “Other Alcoholic Beverages” Made from Fruit Wine
Sulfites, including Sodium metabisulfite, Potassium metabisulfite, Sulfur dioxide, Sodium bisulfite, Sodium sulfite, and Sodium hydrosulfite, are substances necessary for manufacturing fruit wine (과실주). The residue limit of sulfites is set at less than 0.350 g/kg in terms of sulfur dioxide.
However, according to the current regulation, the residue limit of sulfites in "other alcoholic beverages(기타주류)" is specified as less than 0.030 g/kg, which is much lower than the residue limit in fruit wine. This has limited the manufacture of “other alcoholic beverages” made from fruit wine.
To address this conflict, MFDS proposed to relax the residue limit of sulfites in “other alcoholic beverages” made from fruit wine, from 0.030 g/kg to 0.20 g/kg.
This proposal is expected to support the industry in developing new products and provide consumers with more selections.
Background information According to the Liquor Tax Act3, if fruit wine is added with stabilizers (such as gum arabic) that are prohibited from being added to fruit wine, the product will be classified as "other alcoholic beverages" instead of fruit wine. |
2. Improvement of the Usage Standard of HPMCP as an Enteric-Coated Capsule Raw Material in Health Functional Food
Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose phthalate (HPMCP) is indecomposable under acidic conditions such as gastric acid and dissolvable under neutral conditions in the intestines. The current regulation specifies that the HPMCP can only be used in capsules for health functional foods, not for general foods. Therefore, only health functional food manufacturers who directly produce capsules could manufacture enteric-coated health functional foods using HPMCP. This brought inconvenience for both general capsule manufacturers and health functional food manufacturers without capsule facilities.
To solve this trouble, MFDS proposed allowing general food manufacturers to produce enteric-coated capsules for health functional foods. This proposal is expected to help health functional food manufacturers without capsule manufacturing facilities obtain HPMCP-based enteric-coated capsules from "general capsule manufacturers”, reducing enterprises’ burden and enhancing product innovation.
3. Expansion of Scope for Recognizing Nature-Derived Preservatives in Foods
As revealed in the draft, the preservative components generated from animal-derived raw materials in small amounts (propionic acid less than 0.10g/kg, benzoic acid less than 0.02g/kg) will be recognized as naturally derived with no need to be attached with additional evidence.
Background Information For situations where the preservatives of propionic acid and benzoic acid are not intentionally used during food manufacturing and processing, but naturally originate from food ingredients or the manufacturing process, the enterprises are required to prove that the preservatives are derived from natural sources. However, if small amounts of propionic acid (≤0.10g/kg) and benzoic acid (≤0.02g/kg) are detected, they can be recognized as natural origin without additional proof. But this exception excludes animal-derived ingredients. Manufacturers or importers using animal-derived ingredients are still required to submit evidence related to the preservative’s natural origin. To resolve the difficulties, the scope that natural origin is recognized will be expanded to all foods, including those containing animal-derived ingredients. This change aims to simplify the process for business entities and reduce the burden of proving evidence. |
4. Establishment of Standards for Sulfur Dioxide and Sulfur
According to the present Food Additive Code, although Sulfur Dioxide is an allowable food additive used to prevent fruits and vegetables from color changing and microorganism's growth during the drying process, there are no detailed specifications for this substance. Due to consumer demands for the safe and quality-assured production and the supply of Sulfur Dioxide, the specifications for Sulfur Dioxide in the form of liquid filled in a high-pressure gas container are newly inserted into the regulation.
In addition, the specifications for Sulfur, a raw material for producing anhydrous Sulfur, will be newly established. When using Sulfur that meets the new specifications in food manufacturing processes, such as fumigation, the specifications for Sulfur Dioxide will not be separately applied.
5. Other Proposed Modifications
The test methods are optimized.
Obscure expressions are clarified.
The food categorization is updated to be in consist with Food Code.
The usage scope of Propylene glycol is relaxed to all foods to meet the current demand of propylene glycol in food industry.
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