FDBusiness.com

The National Health and Family Planning Commission of People’s
Republic of China (NHFPC) approved and released a new food
packaging materials additives list on April 10, 2013. This list contains 258 new additives for food containers and packaging materials, including their names, application scope, CAS numbers, maximum level, specific migration limit or maximum permitted quantity as well as other restrictive requirements.

258 New Additives for Food Containers

According to the “Food Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China”, its implementing rules, and in accordance with “The Notice of Food Packaging Material Re-assessment” (Health Authority [2009] No. 108) requirements and after an experts evaluation organized by the government, the National Health and Family Planning Commission of People’s Republic of China (NHFPC) approved and released a new food packaging materials additives list on
April 10 2013. This list contained 258 new additives for food containers and packaging materials, including principles for use of these additives, the application scope, additive names, CAS numbers, maximum level, specific migration limit or maximum permitted quantity as well as other restrictive requirements.
Improved Food Safety for China
In 1994, in order to regulate the additive usage in food containers and packaging materials, the Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China (MOH) and the Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China (SAC) jointly published the mandatory standard GB9685 “Hygienic Standards for Uses of Additives in Food Containers and Packaging Materials”, which was subsequently updated in 2003 and 2008. However, industry complains that there are many other food contact additives already in use in the Chinese market which have been approved for use in the EU & USA or that proved to be safe were not yet included in the standard. To improve this situation, the MOH and other ministries jointly issued a circular in 2009 allowing industry to submit petitions by 1 June 2010 to the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety (INFS) for the substances not yet listed on GB9685-2008 or other Chinese standards which are safe for food contact use. As a result of this process, NHFPC (Former MOH) will approve and release an approved list by notice after
application and evaluation for those additives currently out of GB 9685-2008 scope.