On June 30,2022, the National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation have issued the newly revised National Food Safety Standard Beverages (GB 7101-2022) (hereinafter referred to as the new GB),which put forward many new requirements for the labels of beverages. The new GB will be implemented from December 30, 2022. Related enterprises are recommended to make preparations for label rectification in advance.

What are the requirements of the new GB for various types of beverages? Let's find out together.

1. Beverage Definition

The new GB revised the definition of beverages, clarified that beverages are made from one or more edible raw materials, with or without the addition of excipients, food additives and food nutritional fortification substances, ethanol content of not more than 0.5% by mass. Processed into quantitative packaging, for direct drinking or reconstituted drinking, such as carbonated beverages, fruit and vegetable juice and their beverages, protein beverages and solid beverages. 

2. New GB Standard Requirements for Beverages

(1) Physical and Chemical Indexes

● The sum of zinc, copper and iron in metal canned fruit and vegetable juices and their beverages is less than or equal to 20 mg/L.

● Cyanide (calculated as HCN) in beverages with almonds or almond products beverages is less than or equal to 0.05 mg/L.

● Beverage urease test results for products with added soy or soy protein were negative.

(2) Limits of contaminants and mycotoxins

● The limits of contaminants shall comply with provisions in GB 2762, such as the lead limit of milk-containing beverages is less than or equal to 0.05 mg/kg, and the lead limit of solid beverages is less than or equal to 1.0 mg/kg.

● Mycotoxin limits shall comply with provisions in GB 2761.

(3) Microbiological limit

● Commercially sterilized products shall comply with commercial sterilization requirements.

● Pathogen limits shall comply with provisions in GB 29921. The total number of colonies, coliforms, mold and yeast must meet the requirements of Table 3 of GB 7101-2022. Among them, the minimum value required for the total plate count in solid beverages was revised to 10000, and clarified that the indicator of total plate count is not applicable to live bacteria (unsterilized) beverages with aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria added.

Key Reminder:

The colony count does not apply to live (unpasteurized) type beverages with added aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria, and yeast does not apply to solid beverages.

(4) Food additives and food nutrition fortifier

● The food additives shall be used in accordance with the regulations as specified in GB 2760.

● The food nutrition fortifier shall be used in accordance with the provisions in GB 14880.

(5) Chinese label requirements

imported beverages should have Chinese labels that meet the requirements of Chinese regulations and standards. The Chinese labels should clearly indicate: product name, ingredient list, importer/distributor/agent name, address and contact information, net content, manufacture date, shelf life, storage conditions, country of origin (place of origin), nutrition information, etc.

Key Reminder:

● The label of the product with added bacteria should indicate the live (unpasteurized) type or non-live (pasteurized) type.

● The label of live (unpasteurized) type products with lactic acid bacteria should indicate the lactic acid bacteria content, and the number of lactic acid bacteria in the products should be ≥106 CFU/g (mL).

● Products requiring refrigerated or frozen storage and transportation should be labeled with the storage and transportation conditions.