China Issues 50 National Food-Safety Standards Covering Additives, Mycotoxin Methods and Process Controls

China's National Health Commission (NHC) and State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) have jointly issued 50 national food-safety standards and amendment sheets under Announcement No. 6 of 2026, published on 22 September 2026 and signed on 18 August. The package encompasses 29 new or revised standards and 21 amendment sheets addressing product specifications, food additives, process controls and analytical methods.

The scope of the announcement is broad and carries direct relevance for feed and food ingredient suppliers, importers and exporters trading with China. Four additive standards cover sodium alginate, paprika oleoresin, erythritol and food flavourings, while three process-control standards address acrylamide, lead and tin in tinplate-canned foods. According to the official explanatory summary published by the NHC, the additive standards include sensory requirements, main-component content, impurities, lead and arsenic indicators.

The analytical-methods component is particularly significant for laboratories and suppliers of feed-related ingredients. The package introduces or revises test methods for aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol and acetylated derivatives, patulin, zearalenone, citrinin, Alternaria toxins, beauvericin and enniatins, as well as a multi-mycotoxin testing standard. A new standard, GB 5009.253-2026, addresses perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Methods for trans fatty acids, indicator polychlorinated biphenyls and tetrodotoxin are also included.

Among the product standards, the package includes GB 31668-2026 for milk protein and GB 22570-2026 for complementary food and nutritional supplements for preschool children. The NHC states the milk-protein standard addresses definitions, core indicators and labelling requirements.

The 21 amendment sheets update existing additive and other standards, covering colours, emulsifiers and sweeteners, as well as a milk and dairy impurity method. Regulatory compliance analysts note that an amendment sheet may alter only part of an existing standard, meaning that controlled compliance copies must combine the base document with the amendment text.

A key compliance consideration flagged by Foresight, which reported the announcement, is that the 22 September publication date is not a universal application date. Each of the 50 items carries its own implementation date and transition provisions, and businesses are advised to build a standard-by-standard matrix mapping their products and ingredients to specific GB numbers, effective dates, replaced editions and labelling changes. Laboratories are separately advised to assess method validation requirements, reference materials, equipment and accreditation scope against applicable editions.

The process-control standards are described by the source as being designed to support prevention and control across the production chain, rather than functioning solely as end-product test limits, which broadens their potential reach for manufacturers and ingredient processors.