On October 13, the National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Supervision jointly issued 42 new national food safety standards, including the "National Food Safety Standard Food Flavors". Foodmate compared the 2020 edition with "National Food Safety Standard Food Flavors (GB 30616-2014)", summarized and interpreted the highlights in the 2020 edition.

Highlight 1: Revise the definitions of food flavors, liquid flavors, and emulsified flavors

The 2020 edition revised the definition of "food flavors" to clearly exclude flavor enhancers.

Two definitions of liquid flavor and emulsified flavor were revised: liquid flavors are various flavors that appear in liquid form; emulsified flavors are various flavors that appear in emulsion form.

Highlight 2: Revise raw material requirements and physical and chemical testing methods

(1) Raw material requirements

Add the raw material and process requirements for thermal processing flavoring materials for food in Appendix A;

(2) Physical and chemical testing

The 2020 version of the arsenic index is still ≤3mg/kg, but the need to detect inorganic arsenic has been revised. The 2014 version requires "only determine the inorganic arsenic content for food flavors containing ingredients derived from seafood, and the inorganic arsenic content should be ≤1.5 mg/kg". However, the 2020 version clarifies "when the arsenic content is greater than this value, then determine the inorganic arsenic content. The content of inorganic arsenic should be ≤1.5 mg/kg".

In addition, the inspection methods for fragrance, moisture, peroxide value, particle size, stability of thousand-fold dilution, heavy metal content, and arsenic content have been modified. Among them, the inspection of moisture makes it clear that the third method in the existing national food safety standard GB 5009.3-2016 is the arbitration method; the new particle size detection method, the particle size analyzer method, and the biological microscope method (arbitration method) can be used either. Added requirements for reagents and water related to physical and chemical testing.

Highlight 3: Revise the labeling requirements for food flavors

The 2020 version stipulates that “in accordance with GB 29924 “National Food Safety Standard General Rules of Food Additives Labeling” for labeling, all liquid flavors whose relative density and refractive index cannot be detected because they contain thermal processed flavors for food, the product label should indicate that the product contains thermal processing flavors for food". Compared with the 2014 version, “products containing thermal processed flavors for food” are restricted to “liquid flavors”; the indication of “thermal processed flavors for foods” in the ingredient list is revised to “the label should indicate that this product contains thermal processed flavors of food-use".

In addition, it is no longer required for "food flavors containing ingredients derived from seafood" to indicate "this product contains seafood ingredients" on the product label.

Highlight 4: 3 kinds of excipients have been added, and 7 kinds of other excipients have been deleted

3 excipients have been added to the list of permitted excipients in food flavors: triacetin, triethyl citrate and isopropanol.

7 other excipients have been deleted from the list of other excipients allowed in food flavors: beet red, sorghum red, citrus yellow, natural carotene, xylitol, mogroside, and erythritol.

Highlight 5: Revise CNS code and INS code

Add INS codes for gelatin, DL malic acid, DL-sodium malate, rosemary extract, and phytic acid; add CNS codes for DL malic acid, hydroxybenzoic acid esters and their sodium salts, and DL tartaric acid; revise INS code for potassium stearate, calcium stearate, and magnesium stearate.

It should be noted that for CNS codes and INS codes: Compared with GB 2760-2014, GB 30616-2020, add INS codes for rosemary extract, DL-malic acid, and phytic acid; revise CNS codes for potassium stearate, calcium stearate and magnesium stearate, DL-sodium malate, and the others are in line with the regulations of GB 2760.

Highlight 6: Newly add the quality specifications of the food flavor excipients sucrose acetate isobutyrate

Add appendix D: the quality specifications of sucrose acetate isobutyrate, which is used as a flavoring auxiliary material for food, including scope, structural formula, and technical requirements (sensory requirements, physical and chemical indicators) and its detection method is given in Appendix C.

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Business Division of Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance of Global Foodmate provides food standards & regulations research, labelling compliance consulting/Chinese label design, industry public opinion monitoring and analysis, registration services (of Infant formula, FSMP, Health food, Novel Food Ingredients, Novel Food Additives, New Varieties of Food-Related Products and Overseas manufacturers of imported food) and other comprehensive food safety solutions for domestic and overseas enterprises and institutions in food industry. 

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