China Issues 50 National Food Safety Standards and Amendment Sheets, Covering Contaminants and Mycotoxins

China's National Health Commission (NHC) and the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) on 22 September 2026 announced the release of a package of 50 national food safety standards and amendment sheets, according to regulatory compliance platform ZMUni.

The package comprises 30 new food safety standards and 20 amendment sheets to existing standards. The new standards span food ingredients, food additives, contaminant control, analytical methods, and special dietary foods. The standards were formally issued on 18 August 2026, with implementation dates ranging from February to August 2027.

Mycotoxin and Contaminant Testing Methods

Several of the new standards are directly relevant to feed and food commodity supply chains. They include updated national methods for determining aflatoxins B and G (GB 5009.22-2026), aflatoxin M (GB 5009.24-2026), ochratoxin A (GB 5009.96-2026), deoxynivalenol and its acetylated derivatives (GB 5009.111-2026), zearalenone (GB 5009.209-2026), citrinin (GB 5009.222-2026), patulin (GB 5009.185-2026), Alternaria toxins (GB 5009.310-2026), beauvericin and enniatins (GB 5009.311-2026), and a multi-mycotoxin determination method (GB 5009.312-2026).

Contaminant control specifications cover acrylamide (GB 31665-2026), lead (GB 31666-2026), and tin in canned foods (GB 31667-2026). A new standard for the determination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in foods (GB 5009.253-2026) and a method for indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (GB 5009.190-2026) are also included.

Aquatic Products and Fatty Acid Standards

The package includes a standard for the determination of tetrodotoxin in aquatic products (GB 5009.206-2026), which is relevant to aquafeed and aquaculture. Updated methods for fatty acids and trans fatty acids in foods (GB 5009.168-2026) and in special dietary use foods (GB 5413.36-2026) are also part of the release.

Food Additive Amendments

The 20 amendment sheets update existing standards for a range of food additives, including emulsifiers such as mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR), and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides (DATEM), as well as several food colorants including tartrazine, sunset yellow FCF, and brilliant blue.

The full texts of the standards in Chinese are available through China's National Food Safety Standards Database. The official NHC announcement is accessible via the NHC website.