Stipulations on Food Additive Production Go Into Effect

The Stipulations on Supervision and Administration of Food Additive Production, the first of its kind in China, went into effect as of June 1.

The stipulations specify in detail the approval procedures for production of food additives, ordering that no manufacturers should be allowed to produce food additives without acquiring manufacturing license. It raises the threshold by placing more stringent requirements on such aspects as operators' qualifications, hygiene environment, factory facilities, production equipment, sanitation management and factory inspection capabilities.

The stipulations include a chapter to state the food additives manufacturers' obligations for product quality. The manufacturers shall carry out inspection on food additives, and only qualified products can be sent into the market for sale. Quality management system shall be established for raw materials purchasing, production process control, inspection on products to leave the factory gate and after-sale services, and the records on production management shall be well-maintained. Packaging materials should be safe and nontoxic ones to ensure that the food additive products will not be polluted. The manufacturers are ordered to check the production management situation, particularly the quality and safety control link. In addition, the manufacturers should recall their products that are found to have potential safety risks.

As far as labeling is concerned, it's specified that the labels and instructions shall not contain false and exaggerated information, or indicate functions for disease prevention, control and treatment. Warning marks or warming statements in Chinese should be used for food additives that may cause safety problems if not used properly.