A new regulation on "novel foods" will come into force on
December 1, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said yesterday on its
website.
It will supersede a ruling on such products introduced in 1990
and a regulation on genetically modified food, which some experts
had warned failed to sufficiently protect the health of
consumers.
The new regulation applies to companies and individuals involved
in the production and trade of novel foods.
These are defined as food ingredients, which meet the basic
criteria of food but do not have a significant history of
consumption in China.
Novel foods have to undergo a series of strict procedures before
the MOH will allow them onto the market, the regulation said.
The foods fall broadly into four categories: Animals, plants and
microorganisms that are not often consumed in China; seldom-used
food ingredients aside from animals plants and microorganisms;
newly discovered microorganisms applied during food processing; and
food ingredients whose structure has been modified by new
techniques, the regulation said.
Given the fact that novel foods are usually just ingredients in
ready-to-consume products, the public is seldom aware of what it is
eating, said Zhang Jian, a researcher with national institute of
nutrition and food safety affiliated to the Chinese Center for
Disease Control and Prevention.
For instance, not many people would know that sugar-free chewing
gum gets its sweetness from Isomalt, Zhang said.
Isomalt is a solution used in sugar-free and low-sugar products
such as boiled sweets, chewing gum and chocolates.
"The market for novel foods in China is still largely untapped,
but it will surely grow as wealthy Chinese develop a taste for
healthier foods, such as sugar-free products," Zhang said.
The regulation said the government encouraged the scientific
research and development of novel foods as it wanted to add greater
variety to the market.
Currently, there are some 340 novel foods on the market, but
these might have to be reviewed to comply with the new rules, the
ministry said.
To further drive the novel food industry, the regulation does
away with complex approval procedures, while tightening food safety
measures.
Health authorities will be required to conduct spot checks on
producers and track the quality and safety of novel products, the
ministry said.
Companies that overstate the medical efficacy of novel foods
will be punished, it said.
(China Daily July 19, 2007)