In recent years, fueled by consumers’ growing demand for low-calorie diets, sweetness-related keywords such as “low-sugar” and “zero-sugar” remain highly popular. Sugar substitutes are widely used in the downstream food and beverage industry, due to the characteristics of high-sweet, low-calorie, and not causing a rise in blood sugar levels.

On December 22, 2023, China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA) issued 2 new food raw materials, L-alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine and Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides, for public comments. The deadline for public comments is January 22, 2024.

The Administrative Measures for the Registration of Infant Formula Products (hereinafter referred to as the Administrative Measures) was revised and issued on July 10, 2023, and came into effect on October 1, 2023. Following the implementation of the new national standards, the new registration regulations have further tightened the requirements for infant formula registration. How should enterprises make adjustments to cope with the new circumstances?

Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) stands as a unique carbohydrate present exclusively in breast milk, ranking as the third-largest solid component, following lactose and fat. With diverse functions, HMOs plays a crucial role in enhancing the gut microbiota, boosting cognitive function, and alleviating symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, among other benefits. Currently, there are over 150 known types of HMOs, each with distinct structures, functions, and applications. Several types have initiated compliance efforts globally, with commercialization taking root first in the EU and the United States.

With the release of the Directory of Health Functions Available to Be Claimed for Health Food - Non-nutrition Supplements (2023 Version) (hereinafter referred to as the 2023 Directory) and the supporting documents by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) on August 31, 2023, the long-awaited change of health food registration certificate policy is finally in place after nearly 20 years. Among the various aspects, the one that attracts the most attention from businesses is the change of certificates for products without validity period and technical requirements.

On December 1, 2023, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) released the revised Administrative Measures for Registration of Food for Special Medical Purposes (hereinafter referred to as the new regulations), consisting of 7 chapters and 64 articles, set to be implemented from January 1, 2024. CIRS Group has compared the new regulations with the current Administrative Measures for Registration of Food for Special Medical Purposes (hereinafter referred to as the current regulations) and summarized the following ten major changes for your understanding.

On November 30, the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHC) issued an announcement (No. 10 of 2023) on the approval of 9 “Three New Foods”, including three new food raw materials, two new food additives, and four food-related products.

On November 23, 2023, we hosted a free webinar on the changes in the new standards for China food contact materials and articles food enterprises’ response. The playback of the webinar is now available. If you missed this webinar you can watch it free by following the link here. Many questions were raised during the webinar. We have collected the questions and made a Q&A summary as follows:

On September 25, 2023, China National Health Commission (NHC) issued 17 national standards for food contact materials. Among them, there are 5 product standards (ink, plastic, metal, rubber, composite materials) and 12 testing standards. In addition to the revision of the existing standards, new product standard and testing standards have been enacted, such as GB 4806.14-2023 ink standard. The series of standards released have brought significant changes to the regulatory requirements for food contact materials, and upstream and downstream enterprises in the food contact industry need to respond in time. CIRS Group will launch an online training session on November 23 to analyze the new regulatory requirements for food contact materials and help enterprises respond promptly and accurately.

On September 25, 2023, the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHC) released announcement No.6, 2023 regarding 85 national food safety standards, including 5 for food contact materials and articles (plastic, metal, rubber, composite materials and articles, and ink), and GB 31604.1-2023 General Rules for Migration Test of Food Contact Metal Materials and Articles. Please click here to check out the major changes in the five updated standards for food contact materials and articles. The list of standards translated is presented in the table below for your kind reference. If you want to get the full translation, please do not hesitate to contact CIRS at service@hfoushi.com with the Order Form attached. If you are also interested in the English versions of other published standards, feel free to contact us.