Xinhuanet, Beijing, April 7 (Reporter Hu Kelu) The new version of the "National Food Safety Standards for the Use of Food Additives" (GB2760-2024) was officially implemented on February 8 this year. On March 27, the National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the newly revised "General Rules for Labeling of Pre-packaged Foods in National Standards for Food Safety" (GB 7718-2025), which clearly stipulated that pre-packaged foods should not use terms such as "no addition" and "zero addition" to emphasize food ingredients. This standard update has had a profound impact on the food industry. Are foods that are "preservative-free", "zero addition" and "pure natural" safer? How should consumers view food additives? The reporter interviewed Wang Huali, deputy director of the Standard Room 3 of the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center, to answer the food additives questions that public concerns.

  Will the rational use of food additives have an impact on human health?

  Wang Huali introduced that the current "National Food Safety Standards for Use of Food Additives" (GB 2760-2024) stipulates the principles of use of food additives, the types of food additives allowed, the scope of use, and the maximum amount of use or residual amount. It is safe to use food additives strictly in accordance with regulations.

  In order to ensure the safe and standardized use of food additives, my country has established a strict approval system for the use of food additives. Only food additives that are technically necessary and proved safe and reliable through risk assessment can be included in the scope of allowable use, and the types and amount of food allowed to be used by each food additive are clearly specified.

  Wang Huali said that when formulating these scopes of use and usage, my country, like other countries, will adopt the same principles and methods as internationally, combine the actual production and use of food additives and the food consumption data of Chinese residents, carry out food safety risk assessment of food additives, and formulate corresponding regulations on the types, scope and dosage of food additives allowed to be used to ensure the edible safety of food additives. Therefore, food additives used strictly in accordance with the standards are safe.

  Is it safe to eat foods containing food additives for a long time? Wang Huali emphasized that when setting the maximum amount of each food additive, my country carries out food safety risk assessment of food additives, and considers the situation where people of different ages, regions and genders eat multiple foods a day and eat them for a long time. The toxicology of food additive safety evaluation also considers the "long-term" problem. The dose without any adverse effects was obtained through animal experiments, and then divided by the protection coefficient as a dose that is safe for humans. Among them, "long-term" is measured by the length and strength of "lifelong" and "day", and the above protection coefficient is used as the scientific basis for formulating standards. Therefore, as long as it is used according to the standards, it is safe.

  Are foods that are "preservative-free", "zero addition" and "pure natural" safer?

  Some consumers believe that foods marked "no preservatives", "zero additions" and "pure natural" on food labels are safer, and merchants have also targeted this point and used such descriptions to cater to consumers' psychology.

  Wang Huali pointed out that in fact, preservatives are mainly used to prevent food spoilage and deterioration, otherwise some foods will break before they leave the factory, and may even produce toxins due to spoilage. From this perspective, preservatives make our supermarket shelves richer and make our food safer. Moreover, all preservatives allowed by national standards have undergone safety evaluation, and standardized use will not cause harm to consumers' health. There are also some foods that naturally do not require preservatives because they cannot provide a livable environment for the growth of spoiled microorganisms, such as honey (high sugar), so these foods claim that "preservative-free" is a completely marketing strategy.

  Wang Huali said that the claim of "zero addition" on the food label is a means of catering to consumers' dislike of food additives. Foods that do not use food additives at all are already difficult to find in the modern food industry environment, and at least it is almost impossible to use processing additives at all in the entire processing technology chain. Standardizing the use of food additives can ensure food safety.

  Wang Huali said that the food additives used in the production process of various pre-packaged foods sold on the market will be reflected in the ingredients list of the food label. Consumers can read the food ingredients list to understand the food ingredients and the food additives used, and choose food according to their needs and preferences. When designing food labels, food companies should follow the requirements of national food safety standards, be authentic, accurate and standardized, and avoid misleading consumers through false claims.

  What are the changes in the new version of the food additive usage standards compared with the 2014 version?

  Wang Huali introduced that compared with the GB 2760-2014 version, the new version of the standard has the following main changes after the revision:

  First, the food additives announced and approved by the National Health Commission are included in the standards, which simplifies the query method stipulated in the use of food additives in Appendix A, so as to facilitate the query and use of standard users.

  Second, the definition of food additives has been improved, nutritional fortifiers and their definitions have been included, and the basic information of some food additives has been modified, which will further help food companies to clearly identify them.

  Third, based on the latest evaluation results of the safety and process necessity of food additives, some food additive varieties and/or usage regulations were deleted. For example, the food additive varieties and usage regulations for the investigation of the investigation of the red sunflower, the jujube yellow, the jujube color, the 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, the seargate, the azoformamide and other food additives are no longer necessary for process; the usage regulations for the preservatives in canned foods, glacial acetic acid in vinegar, natamycin in fruit and vegetable juice pulp, β-carotene and diacetyltartrate mono-diglyceride in distilled liquor were deleted; 6 spice varieties such as Ku Ming oil were deleted (including Ku Ming oil and fenugreek were already spices, rose goose, pomegranate juice concentrates, and corn silk were already ordinary foods, and the 3-acetyl-2,5-dimethylthiophene industry is no longer used); the processing additives mineral oil, ammonium phosphate, and 1,2-dichloroethane were deleted.

  Fourth, the use requirements for some food additives have been adjusted. For example, the total amount requirements for aspartame, acemethic and asparagine methyl acesulfame are added when used in the same food category are added; the specific functions and scope of use of hydrogen peroxide when used as a processing additive are clarified.

  Fifth, based on extensive research and soliciting opinions on various food industries, the description of some food categories has been further standardized, so that the description of food classification is more scientific and reasonable. For example, in order to maintain consistency with the national food safety standards for related food products, some food categories have been modified: for example, the preparation of soy sauce and preparation of vinegar are classified into liquid composite seasonings (food classification number 12.10.03), the "Vinegar (food classification number 12.03)" is modified to "Vinegar (food classification number 12.03)" and the corresponding food additive use regulations are modified.

  The new national standard has added the total amount requirements for aspartame, acemethic and asparagus methyl acesulfame when used in the same food category. When mixed, the maximum usage cannot exceed the maximum usage of aspartame or acemethymium as specified by the standard. Why did such adjustments be made?

  Wang Huali said that acemethic acid is also known as potassium acesulfame, aspartame is also known as methyl asparagus phenylalanine. Asparagus phenylalanine methyl acesulfonic acid is composed of the above two substances, both of which are sweeteners allowed to be used in my country. If aspartame or acesamine is used in a certain food, and asparagus methyl acesulphonic acid is added, since asparagus phenylalanine methyl acesulphonic acid can be converted into aspartame or acesulphonic acid when used in food. Therefore, the corresponding notes are added to the use regulations of the three sweeteners of acemethic acid, aspartame, and asparagus phenylalanine acesulfamethic acid, that is, multiply by the corresponding coefficient to convert the amount of asparagus phenylalanine acesulfamethic acid to aspartame or acesulfamethic acid, and the total amount when used at the same time shall not exceed the maximum use amount of aspartame or acesulfamethic. The amount of asparagus phenylalanine methyl acesulfame multiplied by 0.64 can be converted to the amount of aspartame, and the amount of use multiplied by 0.44 can be converted to the amount of aceme.

  For example, asparagus phenylalanine methyl acesulfonic acid and aspartame can be used in liquid composite seasonings, with the maximum usage amounts being 2.0g/kg and 3.0g/kg, respectively. If asparagus phenylalanine acesulfame and aspartame are used in the liquid composite seasoning, the amount of asparagus phenylalanine acesulfame is used multiplied by 0.64, plus the sum of the amount of aspartame used, shall not exceed the maximum amount of aspartame used in the liquid composite seasoning 3.0g/kg.

  For example, acemethic and asparaginyl phenylalanine methyl acesulfonic acid can be used in frozen beverages (except for edible ice), with the maximum usage amounts being 0.3g/kg and 0.68g/kg respectively. If acemethic acid and asparagus methyl acesulfonic acid are used in ice cream, the amount of asparagus phenylalanine acesulfonic acid is multiplied by 0.44, and the sum of the amount of acesulfonic acid is not more than 0.3g/kg.

  What impact will the implementation of the new version of the standard have on food manufacturers?

  Wang Huali introduced that, first of all, after the implementation of the new version of the standard, some food additive varieties and/or usage regulations were removed, some food additive usage requirements were strictly implemented, and some food categories were improved. The food industry and enterprises should meet the requirements of the new standards by improving processes, adjusting product formulas, labels, etc., thereby promoting the high-quality development of the food industry.

  Secondly, the new version of the standard once again emphasizes the principle of using food additives, that is, the use of food additives in food should not cause any health hazards to the human body, should not cover up food spoilage, quality defects in the food itself or processing process, or the use of food additives for the purpose of adulteration, adulteration, or forgery, should not reduce the nutritional value of the food itself, and should minimize the amount of use in food as much as possible while achieving the expected results.

  Enterprises should strictly follow the above principles of use to use food additives in food. In short, the main responsibility of the food industry and enterprises in terms of food safety should strictly implement the principle of using food additives in food and use food additives in food in accordance with the standards to ensure food safety and protect consumers' health.

[Editor in charge: Zhang Xinshuo]