According to the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the new mandatory national standard for food contact materials is about to be fully implemented. The new standard system covers various aspects such as raw materials, production management, and product testing, which will have a significant impact on related industries. Food contact materials, as an important link in food safety, are directly related to the vital interests of consumers and are increasingly receiving attention. This upgrade will better align China's regulation of food contact materials with international standards and provide stronger protection for consumer health and safety.

The hygiene risks of food contact materials have received frequent attention

In recent years, incidents of media discussion on food contact materials due to safety and hygiene hazards have repeatedly occurred, becoming the focus of attention for regulatory authorities in various countries. In 2016, the European Union issued 103 notifications of non-compliance for Chinese food contact materials exported to Europe through the RASFF (Rapid Notification System for Food and Feed), involving various types of goods such as plastics, stainless steel, ceramic products, bamboo and wood tableware, non stick pans, etc. Among them, 86 batches were refused entry or withdrawn from the market. China has also repeatedly discovered substandard food contact products during import inspections. In 2016, Ningbo Port detected 11 batches of unqualified imported food contact products with a value exceeding 400000 US dollars. A batch of plastic parts of imported juicers from South Korea were found to contain up to 20.2 milligrams/kilogram of carcinogenic and teratogenic ingredient acrylonitrile, far exceeding the national standard limit.

The mandatory new national standard is about to be fully implemented

The new national standard system includes two basic food safety national standards, GB4806.1-2016 "General Safety Requirements for Food Contact Materials and Products" and GB9685-2016 "Standard for the Use of Additives in Food Contact Materials and Products", which are applicable to all products. There are 10 GB4806 series product standards applicable to different materials, GB31603 "General Hygiene Specification for the Production of Food Contact Materials and Products" applicable to production management, and 50 testing method standards including the supporting GB31604 series. Except for a few standards that were implemented in September 2016 and two basic standards that will be implemented in October 2017, all other standards will come into effect from March to April 2017.

From the perspective of hygiene requirements, the new national standard divides food contact products into 10 categories, including pacifiers, enamel products, ceramic products, glass products, plastic resins, plastic products, paper, metal materials, coatings and coatings, rubber materials, etc., and updates the hygiene requirements based on European and American experience. A unified "total migration" index has been established for different plastic products such as polypropylene and polyethylene, and the limit of 60mg/kg is also consistent with the European Union; Rubber products have increased restrictions on substances such as N-nitrosamine, which have been widely reported by the European Union; The new standard for metal materials and products integrates the requirements of hygiene standards for stainless steel and aluminum products, and tightens restrictions on heavy metals such as lead and cadmium.

From the perspective of testing indicators, the new standard requires testing based on actual usage conditions, and has refined the selection of food simulants, testing time, and temperature, so that the testing can scientifically and reasonably reflect the safety of the product in actual use. This requires enterprises to have a good understanding of the raw materials and usage conditions of their own products. In addition, the physical and chemical indicators of some products have also been significantly tightened, such as the total migration of acidic and oily simulants in rubber, which has been increased by 40 times compared to the old standards.

The mandatory new national standard has far-reaching implications

The mandatory standard upgrade for food contact products this time covers a wide range of categories and changes in content, which will not only have a profound impact on domestic production enterprises, but also have a significant impact on importers of related products. According to statistics, China imports 100000 batches of various food contact products each year, with a value of over 3 billion yuan. In 2016, Ningbo Port alone imported over 40 million yuan. With the rise of cross-border e-commerce, the import of juicers from Japan and South Korea, as well as water purifiers from Europe and America, has become increasingly popular. Enterprises need to closely monitor the impact of the new standards.

The inspection and quarantine department reminds relevant import enterprises; On the one hand, we need to closely monitor the implementation of standards, strengthen communication with foreign suppliers, inform them of the indicators and requirements of the new national standards, and ensure product quality from the source. On the other hand, it is necessary to conduct new national standard testing in advance, and the testing should be carried out according to the product category and the strictest actual usage conditions to ensure that the report is qualified and effective, so as to avoid consequences such as return and destruction due to quality problems.

Source: China Guomen Times