Food additives play an important role in food processing, not only improving the quality and taste of food but also extending its shelf life and stability. As one of the world's largest food markets, food safety has always been a social focus in China. In order to ensure food safety and protect consumer rights, the Chinese government has been committed to strengthening the supervision and management of food additives. To ensure the safety and compliance of food additives, China has implemented a strict acceptance and application system to evaluate and approve the use of new varieties of food additives.

To facilitate the understanding of the application and progress of new varieties of food additives for food industry, Foodmate has conducted a summary of the overall application status of new varieties of food additives in the first half of 2023.

1. Application status

In the first half of 2023, the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China (NHC) announced acceptance of 38 new varieties of food additives. Among them, 21 were rejected, 8 were subject to further re-evaluation, and no product has been approved. Please refer to Table 1 for details.

based on current approval status, over half of the additives were rejected. Possible reasons could be:

(1) Insufficient evidence of product safety or there could be potential health risks.

(2) Lack of scientific support for function and effectiveness of the products.

(3) Unable to meet market demands or low level of innovation.

Therefore, when applying for new varieties of food additives, it is essential to adequately prepare all required supporting documents according to the application requirements.

Table 1: Application process tracking of New Varieties of Food Additives in the First Half of 2023

2. Approved New Varieties of Food Additives in the First Half of 2023

In the first half of 2023, the NHC approved a total of 23 new varieties of food additives (NHC Announcement No. 1, 2023 and Announcement No. 3, 2023), including 9 new varieties of food industry enzyme preparations, 5 varieties of food additives with expanded scope of use, 4 varieties of food nutrient fortifiers with expanded scope of use and dosage, 2 varieties of food industry processing aids with expanded scope of use, 1 new variety of food flavoring, 1 new variety of food nutrient fortifier, and 1 new variety of regular food additive. Please refer to Table 2 for details.

The application period for these approved substances ranged from approximately 6 months to 35 months. The period varied greatly depending on the completeness and quality of the application materials. The more comprehensive and high-quality the submitted materials, the less processing time it takes by the evaluation agency. If the application materials are incomplete, inaccurate, or unclear, the evaluation agency may need to communicate with the applicant multiple times and request additional materials, thereby extending the evaluation period. It is recommended that companies collaborate with professional application teams to fully prepare the document so as to shorten the application period. Foodmate is dedicated to providing consultation services for the application of the "Three New" food items (new varieties of food additives, new food ingredient, and new food relative material) to domestic and international clients.

Table 2: Approved New Varieties of Food Additives in the First Half of 2023

3. Conclusion

The acceptance and application system for new varieties of food additives in China plays a significant role in ensuring food safety and promoting industry development. Through rigorous application procedures and scientific evaluations, the system ensures the safety and compliance of food additives as well as protects consumers' rights. The implementation of the system also provides more opportunities for innovation in the food industry and promotes the progress and development for industry. With the continuous expansion of the Chinese food market and the increasing consumer demands for quality, we believe that the system will continue to play an important role and make greater contributions to the sustainable development of China's food industry.

The summary of the application and approval status of new varieties of food additives in the first half of 2023 is prepared by the Foodmate Registration Department. If you have any inquiries or demands related to the application of “Three New” food items, please feel free to leave a message or contact us.