Scope and Labeling of Food Additives
Definition of Food Additives
The Food Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China stipulates that food additives refer to synthetic or natural substances, including nutritional enhancers, that are added to food to improve food quality and color, aroma and taste, as well as for the purpose of preservation of antisepsis, freshness and the needs of processing technology.
The National Standard for Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB2760-2014) stipulates that food additives refer to synthetic or natural substances that are added to food in order to improve food quality and color, aroma and taste, as well as for the purpose of preservation of antisepsis, preservation of freshness and the needs of processing technology. Flavors for food, base agent substances in gel-based confectionery, and processing aids for the food industry are also included.
Scope of food additives and related standards
Combined with the definition of food additives in the Food Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China and the National Standard for Food Safety Use of Food Additives (GB2760-2014), food additives can be classified into food additives in the traditional sense, food nutrient fortification, food flavors, food flavorings, food processing aids for food industry (including enzyme preparation), and the base agent substances of gelatin-based confectionery.
Labeling requirements of food additives
1、Food additives in the traditional sense
(1) Basic requirements for labeling
The common name of food additives in GB 2760 should be labeled. The common name of food additives can be labeled as the specific name of the food additive, or the name of the functional category of the food additive and the specific name of the food additive or the international code (INS number) at the same time. If GB 2760 specifies two or more names for a food additive, each name is an equivalent name and one of them should be used when labeling.
Cochineal orange (also known as annatto, hypromellose) can be labeled as: “cochineal orange”, “annatto”, “hypromellose”, “coloring agent (160b)”, “coloring agent (carmine orange)”, “food additive (carmine orange)”, “food additive (coloring agent (160b)) “, “Food Additives (Colorant (Carmine Orange))” and so on.
On the label of the same prepackaged food, the same form of the above labeling methods should be chosen to label the food additives.
(2) Labeling Precautions
a. The ingredient list can not be labeled only additive functions such as “coloring agent”, “thickening agent”, etc.; if labeled as the name of the functional category of food additives, in accordance with the GB 2760 functional labeling, the example of cochineal orange can not be marked as “pigment (cochineal orange)”.
b. Nutritional enhancers, edible flavors and fragrances, and base agent substances in gel-based confectionery can be labeled outside the food additives item in the ingredient list, such as the labeling method in Figure 2.
c. When food additives contain excipients that do not play a functional role in the final product, they do not need to be labeled in the ingredient list:
For example, commercialized lutein products may contain edible vegetable oil, dextrin, antioxidants and other excipients, but the additive can be directly labeled as “lutein”, “coloring agent (lutein)”, “coloring agent (161b) “.
d. Considering the need of labeling food allergenic substances.
d. Considering the need for labeling of food allergenic substances, the description of source can be added before the specific name stipulated in GB2760:
For example, “phospholipids” can be labeled as “soybean phospholipids”, “emulsifiers (soybean phospholipids)”, “phospholipids (containing soybean)”. “.
e. Aspartame should be labeled as “aspartame (containing phenylalanine)”.
(3) Compound food additives
Each food additive that has a functional role in the final product should be labeled one by one in the food ingredient list.
Compound sweeteners in the ingredients can be labeled as “compound sweeteners (aspartame (containing phenylalanine), erythritol, xylitol)”, can also be labeled as “aspartame (containing phenylalanine), erythritol, xylitol”. But note that after the merger of the “compound sweeteners” should be combined by the total amount of other ingredients together with the descending order.
2、Nutritional enhancers
(1) The basic requirements of labeling
It should be labeled with the name in the “Standard for the Use of Food Nutritional Enrichment” (GB 14880) or the approval notice. Compound name, nutrient name, nutrient name and compound name can be labeled.
If a food is fortified with vitamin E, what is used is d-α-tocopherol in the source of compounds in Figure 4. It may be labeled in the ingredient list as “vitamin E”, “d-alpha-tocopherol”, “vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol)”, or “d -alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E)”.
On the label of the same prepackaged food, the nutrient fortifier should be labeled in the same form of one of the above labeling methods.
(2) Labeling Precautions
a. Ingredients that can be used as both food additives and food fortifiers shall be labeled according to the role they play in the final product:
For example, “Potassium citrate”, when functioning as a food additive (Picture 5) as an acidity regulator, it can be labeled as “Potassium citrate” or “Acidity regulator (potassium citrate)”, “Acidity regulator (332ii)”, etc. When used as a food fortifier (Figure 6) to fortify potassium, it can be labeled as “Potassium citrate”, “Potassium (citrate)”, “Potassium (Potassium citrate)”, etc.
b. Nutritional enhancers and compounds with parentheses behind the source, the names inside and outside the parentheses are regarded as equivalent, and any of them can be labeled individually on the product label, or both of them can be labeled at the same time:
For example, “L-carnitine (L-carnitine)” can be labeled as “L-carnitine” or “L-carnitine”, “L-carnitine (L-carnitine)” or “L-carnitine”. ” or “L-carnitine (L-carnitine)”.
c. For prepackaged foods with nutrient fortification, the value of the content of the nutrient in the fortified food and its percentage in the Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) shall also be indicated in the Nutrient Composition Table;
Product ingredients fortified with iron pyrophosphate and vitamin C fortified with iron and vitamin C should be labeled in the Nutritional Composition Table with the content value of iron and vitamin C and its percentage of the Nutrient Reference Value (NRV).
d. For some substances that are both nutrient fortifier and new resource food, if they are used for the purpose of nutrient fortification, their use should meet the requirements of GB 14880; if they are used as new food raw materials, they should comply with the provisions of the relevant announcements of new resource food;
For example, when polyfructose is used as a nutritional fortifier, it can be used in infant formula food and infant cereal auxiliary food with a serving size of ≤64.5g/kg (used alone) according to the requirements of Fig. 8, and it should be labeled as “Polyfructose (Chicory source)” or “Polyfructose “When used as a new food ingredient, according to the requirements of Fig. 9, it can be used in children’s milk powder and maternal milk powder, with a serving size of ≤8.4g/day, and should be labeled as “polyfructose”.
3、Processing aids for food industry
(1) Basic requirements for labeling
No need to label.
(2) Precautions
a. Processing aids should generally be removed before the final product is made, and if they cannot be completely removed, their residues should be minimized, and their residues should not be hazardous to health, and should not play a functional role in the final food.
Calcium chloride, for example, can be used as a processing aid (Figure 10) or as a food additive (Figure 11). When calcium chloride is used as a processing aid, it should not play the functions of stabilizer, coagulant and thickener in the final food; if it plays the above functions in the final food, it is necessary to confirm whether calcium chloride can be used in this kind of food, whether the amount of addition meets the requirements, and to label calcium chloride in the ingredient list.
(3) Labeling requirements for enzyme preparations
If the enzyme vitality has been lost in the final product, no labeling is needed; if the enzyme vitality is still maintained in the final product, it should be arranged in the corresponding position of the ingredient list according to the relevant provisions of the food ingredient list labeling, according to the amount of enzyme added in the manufacture or processing of food;
If the enzyme preparation used in the liquefaction and saccharification process of producing brewing vinegar has lost enzyme vitality in the finished products of brewing vinegar, it is not required to be labeled.
4、Food flavors and fragrances
(1) Basic requirements of labeling
It can be labeled as “edible flavor”, “edible spice”, “edible flavor and spice”, etc., and can also be labeled with the common name of flavor and spice in the ingredient list.
Clove leaf oil can be labeled as “edible spices” or “clove leaf oil” in the list of ingredients.
(2) Precautions for labeling
a. Food spices with the function of other food additives shall comply with the regulations on the use of food additives when performing the function of other food additives in food.
For example, benzoic acid can be used both as a preservative (Picture 13) and as a food flavor (Picture 14). If it is only used as edible flavor and does not function as a preservative, it can be labeled in accordance with the requirements of flavors and fragrances; if it functions as a preservative in food, it should comply with the regulations on the use of food additives and be labeled as “benzoic acid”, “preservative (benzoic acid)”, “preservative (210)”, “preservative (210)” or “preservative (210)”. “, “Preservative (210)” and so on.
5、Gel-based confectionery in the base agent substances
According to the requirements of GB 7718, it can be labeled as “gummies base agent” or “gum base”.
Summary
Correct use and labeling of food additives is the most basic requirement for food manufacturers, and is also the commitment of food manufacturers to food quality and safety. Food manufacturers should use and label food additives correctly in strict accordance with the corresponding regulations and standards, and provide consumers with true product information and consumer guidance.
