SG 055/25
China has announced the use of several new national standards for food contact materials (FCM) and articles.
In March 2025, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) and the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced five new standards and an amendment to one standard for FCM and articles.
Highlights of the announcement for the five new FCM and article standards are summarized in Table 1.
| Item | New National Food Safety Standard | Current National Food Safety Standard |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GB 31604.30-2025 ‘Food contact materials and articles – Determination of phthalate esters and migration’ | GB 31604.30-2016 ‘Food contact materials and articles – Determination of the content and migration of phthalate esters’ |
| 2 | GB 31604.31-2025 ‘Food contact materials and articles – Determination of residual and migration of vinyl chloride, 1,1-dichloroethylene and 1,1-dichloroethane’ | GB 31604.31-2016 ‘Food contact materials and articles – Determination of vinyl chloride and migration’ |
| 3 | GB 31604.61-2025 ‘Food contact materials and articles – Determination of migration of 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol’ | -- |
| 4 | GB 31604.62-2025 ‘Food contact materials and articles – Determination of migration and release of N-nitrosamines’ | -- |
| 5 | GB 31604.63-2025 ‘Food contact materials and articles – Determination of 4,4’-biphenyl glycol and 1,1’-sulphonyl bis(4-chlorobenzene)’ | -- |
| Implementation date | September 16, 2025 | In force |
Table 1. Announcement No. 2 of 2025
The announcement also includes Amendment No. 1 to GB 9685-2016 ‘National food safety standard for the use of additives in FCM and articles’ – an important standard for, among other things, the authorized list of substances and their specifications for plastics (Table A.1), paints and coatings (Table A.2), rubber (Table A.3), inks (Table A.4), adhesives (Table A.5), paper and board (Table A.6) and other materials (silicone rubber, etc., Table A.7).
Key changes in Amendment No. 1 to GB 9685-2016 include:
- Modifying the specifications for starch 2-hydroxy-3-(trimethylammonio)propyl ether, chloride, oxidized (FCA number 1221, Table A.6))
- Updating the Chinese name for several additives (Table E)
- Replacing the specific migration limit (SML) requirements for FCA0064 (Table A.2) and several entries in Table A.6
- Adding entries 33 to 35 for total specific migration limits (SML, Table B.1)
This amendment became effective on March 16, 2025 – the day of its announcement.
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