China's National Health Commission (NHC) has published the draft 2026 Food Safety National Standards Work Plan for public consultation, proposing a total of 45 food safety standards projects, including 24 new standards and 21 revisions. The proposed work programme covers a broad range of areas, including food products, food additives, testing methodologies, food contact materials, microbiological standards, nutrition fortifiers, and special dietary foods.
1.Revision of GB 2760 Food Additive Use Standard
One of the most significant initiatives included in the draft plan is the revision of GB 2760 – National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives. As China's primary framework governing permitted food additives, food categories, conditions of use, and maximum use levels, any amendment to GB 2760 could have broad implications for ingredient authorization and formulation practices across the food and nutrition industries. Companies utilizing food additives in functional foods and nutrition products should closely monitor developments related to this revision.
2.New Standard Proposed for D-Allulose
The NHC has also proposed the development of a dedicated national standard for D-Allulose, a low-calorie rare sugar that has gained increasing popularity as a sugar alternative in weight-management products, functional foods, sports nutrition products, and reduced-sugar formulations. Establishing a specific product standard may provide greater regulatory clarity regarding quality specifications, manufacturing requirements, and market use conditions for this ingredient.
3.Revision of Animal Protein Peptides Standard
A revision of the Animal Protein Peptides standard is also included in the draft work plan. The project is expected to be particularly relevant to products containing collagen peptides, marine-derived peptides, protein hydrolysates, and sports nutrition ingredients. Future amendments may address compositional specifications, manufacturing requirements, or analytical criteria applicable to peptide-based ingredients.
4.New Standards for Nutritional and Functional Ingredients
Several proposed standards focus on nutritional and functional ingredients commonly used in the supplement and special nutrition sectors. China plans to establish a General Standard for Amino Acids Used in Foods for Special Dietary Uses, which may introduce overarching requirements applicable to amino acid ingredients used in special dietary foods, clinical nutrition products, and sports nutrition formulations.
New standard proposed for amino acids used in special dietary foods.
New food fortifier standard proposed for magnesium lactate.
Revision planned for L-selenomethylselenocysteine.
Revision planned for calcium aspartate.
5.Expansion of Analytical Methods for Functional Ingredients
The draft work plan includes a number of new analytical standards that may strengthen testing and compliance requirements for functional ingredients frequently used in dietary supplements and nutraceutical products.
Proposed analytical methods include the determination of tea polyphenols, curcumin, taurine, citrulline, ornithine, ε-polylysine, lysozyme, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate, vitamin B1, vitamin B12, vitamin K1, biotin, and lutein. The introduction of standardized testing methodologies for these substances may support regulatory oversight, product verification, quality control, and enforcement activities within the functional food and supplement sectors.
6.Additional Food Additive Revisions
Several food additive standards have been identified for revision, including standards for carbon dioxide, glycerol esters of rosin and hydrogenated rosin, natural carotene, Sunset Yellow FCF and its aluminium lakes, Amaranth and its aluminium lakes, Ponceau 4R and its aluminium lakes, and Erythrosine and its aluminium lakes.
These revisions may result in updates to technical specifications, purity criteria, testing methods, and regulatory requirements applicable to the respective additives.
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