On July 27, 2020, MFDS issued three drafts of food standards for public consultation. They are two drafts on the Food Additives Code (MFDS Notice No. 2020-314 [1] and Notice No. 2020-315 [2]) and one draft on the Regulations on the Certification of the Interim Food Standard and Specification (MFDS Notice 2020-316 [3]). Stakeholders can send suggestions to MFDS prior to September 25.
The main contents of the drafts are:
1. Specification of the Maximum Usage Amounts of Color Additives (MFDS Notice No. 2020-314)
Although the usage of the food color additive is stipulated respectively, the overuse of additives is at risk when blending multiple colorants in food. To reinforce the management of the safe use of color additives, MFDS drafted out the maximum usage amounts for sixteen additives. When using two or more varieties of these additives, the maximum usage amount should be less than the quantity specified for each food category.
For instance, the maximum usage for color additive A, B, C in candy products is less than 0.1g/kg, 0.3g/kg, 0.4g/kg respectively. When adding all the three additives, the total amount is settled to be less than 0.4g/kg, instead of 0.8(0.1+0.3+0.4)g/kg.
Sixteen Additives:
1) Food Green No.3 2) Food Green No.3 Aluminium Lake 3) Food Red No.2 4) Food Red No.2 Aluminium Lake 5) Food Red No.3 6) Food Red No.40 7) Food Red No.40 Aluminium Lake 8) Food Red No.102 9) Food Blue No.1 10) Food Blue No.1 Aluminium Lake 11) Food Blue No.2 12) Food Blue No.2 Aluminium Lake 13) Food Yellow No.4 14) Food Yellow No.4 Aluminium Lake 15) Food Yellow No.5 16) Food Yellow No.5 Aluminium Lake |
Maximum usage amounts when blending two or more varieties of the additives for each food category:
Food Category (English) | Food Category (Korean) | Maximum Usage Amount |
Ice pop | 빙과 | 0.15 g/kg |
Processed bean product, processed potato product | 두류가공품, 서류가공품 | 0.2 g/kg |
Snack, chewing gum, bread, rice cake, ice cream, ice cream mix, fruit and vegetable juice, carbonated drink, carbonated water, mixed drinks, beverage base, Cheongju (refined rice wine, applicable to alcohol contained products only), beer, fruit wine, whiskey, brandy, general distilled spirit, liquor, other alcoholic drink, sausage, instant food | 과자, 츄잉껌, 빵류, 떡류, 아이스크림류, 아이스크림믹스류, 과·채음료, 탄산음료, 탄산수, 혼합음료, 음료베이스, 청주(주정을 첨가한 제품에 한함), 맥주, 과실주, 위스키, 브랜디, 일반증류주, 리큐르, 기타주류, 소시지류, 즉석섭취식품 | 0.3 g/kg |
Candy, other jam | 캔디류, 기타잼 | 0.4 g/kg |
Other processed cocoa product | 기타 코코아가공품 | 0.45 g/kg |
Sugar syrup, crude maltose, processed sugar products, other sugar, vegetable cream, other processed product of edible oil and fat, sauce, spices (applicable to processed products of wasabi and mustard), salted food (applicable to sterilized products), sugar curing food (applicable to sterilized products), starch product, grain product, fish sausage, salted seafood (applicable to salted pollock roe), other processed fish product, dumplings, other processed food. | 기타설탕, 당시럽류, 기타엿, 당류가공품, 식물성크림, 기타식용유지가공품, 소스, 향신료조제품(고추냉이가공품 및 겨자가공품에 한함), 절임식품(밀봉 및 가열살균 또는 멸균처리한 제품에 한함), 당절임(밀봉 및 가열살균 또는 멸균처리한 제품에 한함), 전분가공품, 곡류가공품, 어육소시지, 젓갈류(명란젓에 한함), 기타수산물가공품, 만두, 기타가공품 | 0.5 g/kg |
Chocolate, tablet, and capsule formed food. | 초콜릿류, 정제·캡슐 | 0.6 g/kg |
2. Exemption of Assessment on the GMF Derived Additives (MFDS Notice No. 2020-316)
Background The food or food additives approved for sale or use in South Korea shall comply with the standards and specifications of manufacturing, usage, storage, etc. designated by MFDS. If there are no notified standards and specifications applicable for the food product, one can apply for an individually certified standard to MFDS as per the Food Sanitation Act.[4] |
According to the present regulation, MFDS will conduct a safety assessment on the additives derived from genetically modified microorganisms before approving the certificate of the standard and specification for the additive individually. To ease the industry's burden, the safety assessment is proposed to be omitted when the genetically modified microorganism is verified as safe following Article 9 of the Regulation on the Safety Assessment of the Genetically Modified Microorganisms. [5]
3. Other Amendments (MFDS Notices of No. 2020-315 and No. 2020-316)
The scope of diluents for powder flavors is extended. Water, alcohol, plant oil, dextrin, starch, modified starch, Arabic gum, and silicon dioxide are to be permitted for diluting the "natural flavoring substances”. Whilst the dextrin, starch, modified starch, Arabic gum, and silicon dioxide are added as the diluents subject to “synthetic flavoring substances”.
The English name of Vitamin D2, “Calciferol”, is changed into “Ergocalciferol” in line with the international nomenclature.
The test methods of ten items are optimized. The duration of additive inspection is specified. Some duplicated items are deleted.
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