To ensure food safety in China,the National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation issuedSeptember 25,2023an announcement (No.6,2023) formally releasing 85 new national food safety standards and 3 amendments,including 17 standards related to food contact materials.This marks another significant regulatory update in Chinas food safety sector.Relevant enterprises must closely monitor the standards and prepare adequately before the effective dates to avoid legal risks.

I.Newly issued national food safety standards

Among the 85 national food safety standards released this time,17 are related to food contact materials.Among them,10 standards will come into effect on March 6,2024,including:

? GB 31604.7-2023: Color transfer test for food contact materials and articles.

? GB 31604.46-2023: Determination of free phenols and their migration in food contact materials and articles.

? GB 31604.47-2023: Determination of fluorescent substances in paper,paperboard,and paper products for food contact materials and articles.

? GB 31604.58-2023: Determination of migration of 9 antioxidants in food contact materials and articles.

? GB 31604.29-2023: Determination of migration of acrylic and methacrylic acids and their esters in food contact materials and articles.

? GB 31604.49-2023: Determination of multiple elements and their migration in food contact materials and articles.

? GB 31604.57-2023: Determination of migration of benzophenone compounds in food contact materials and articles.

? GB 31604.56-2023: Determination of migration of laurolactam in food contact materials and articles.

? GB 31604.54-2023: Determination of migration of bisphenol F and bisphenol S in food contact materials and articles.

? GB 31604.55-2023: Determination of migration of isothiazolinone compounds in food contact materials and articles.

The other seven standards will come into effect on September 6,2024,including:

? GB 4806.7-2023: Plastic materials and articles for food contact.

? GB 4806.9-2023: Metal materials and articles for food contact.

? GB 4806.11-2023: Rubber materials and articles for food contact.

? GB 4806.14-2023: Inks for food contact materials and articles.

? GB 4806.13-2023: Composite materials and articles for food contact.

? GB 31604.1-2023: General rules for migration testing of food contact materials and articles.

? GB 31604.59-2023: General rules for validation of chemical analysis methods for food contact materials and articles.

II.Accessing and downloading standard texts

To enable enterprises to promptly understand and grasp these newly released standards,all standard texts can be viewed and downloaded on the National Food Safety Standard Data Retrieval Platform (https://sppt.cfsa.net.cn:8086/db).This platform provides enterprises with a convenient and efficient way to obtain standard information more easily and promptly prepare response measures.

III.Corporate Response and Risk Mitigation

In response to these newly issued national food safety standards,relevant enterprises must pay close attention to the standard content and thoroughly understand the specific requirements for products.Particularly for standards involving food contact materials,companies need to carefully study them to ensure product compliance with the new safety standards,thereby avoiding legal risks in the market.

Before the standards effective dates,enterprises should make adequate preparations,including necessary product improvements and optimizations,to ensure compliance with the new requirements.This not only helps protect consumer food safety but also enhances corporate market competitiveness.