China Proposes to Amend General Safety Standard for Food-Contact Materials

On April 19, 2023, the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA) published on its website a draft amendment to the GB 4806.1 National Food Safety Standard on the General Safety Requirements for Food-Contact Materials and Articles (Draft Standard). This is the first proposed amendment to the GB 4806.1-2016 Standard, which took effect in 2017. Once finalized, the updated GB 4806.1 Standard will impact industry compliance with China’s food-contact material (FCM) regulations. 

While retaining the concept of “effective barrier,” the Draft Standard introduces a new concept of a “complete barrier,” which is defined as a barrier composed of one or more layers of material on the outside of food-contact materials and articles that can prevent all substances behind the barrier from migrating to food. Other key changes in the Draft Standard are listed below.

• “Food raw materials” permitted to be used in China can also be used in the production of FCMs and articles.
• More detailed requirements for the labeling of FCMs and articles are required.
• Additional details as to what should be included in the Declaration of Compliance are provided.

More detailed information on the Draft Standard can be found here.