China has released a draft revision of the national food safety standard GB 13432 Labeling of Prepackaged Foods for Special Dietary Uses, replacing GB 13432-2013. The proposed update introduces significant changes to labeling, nutrition declaration, nutrient claims, and product category requirements for foods intended for special dietary uses.
The revised draft applies to labeling, including nutrition labeling, for prepackaged special dietary foods designed for individuals with specific physiological conditions, disease-related dietary needs, infants, young children, elderly populations, pregnant and lactating women, and sports nutrition consumers.
The draft standard introduces the following key amendments:
-Revision of general labeling requirements;
-Revision of mandatory nutrient declaration requirements;
-Revision of tolerance limits for declared nutrient content;
-Revision of exemptions for mandatory labeling content;
-Revision of nutrition content claim requirements;
-Revision of nutrient function claim requirements;
-Revision of Appendix A covering categories of foods for special dietary uses;
-Addition of Appendix B listing permitted nutrition content claims and function claims.
-Expanded Scope of Special Dietary Foods
The revised Appendix A classifies special dietary foods into several categories, including:
Infant formula foods;
Infant and young child complementary foods;
Foods for special medical purposes (FSMPs);
Nutritional supplement foods for pregnant women, lactating women, and elderly populations;
Sports nutrition foods;
Gluten-free and other special dietary foods covered by national standards.
Mandatory Labeling Requirements
a)Under the draft, products meeting the definition of special dietary foods must clearly indicate:
“Special Dietary Food” on the principal display panel;
Appropriate product category name;
Nutrition Information Table in boxed format.
Mandatory nutrition labeling must include:
1.Energy;
2.Protein;
3.Fat;
4.Saturated fat (or saturated fatty acids);
5.Carbohydrates;
6.Sugars;
7.Sodium;
Other nutrients required by applicable product standards.
The draft proposes updated nutrient compliance tolerances during shelf life:
a)Actual content of nutrients (excluding fat, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium) must not be lower than 80% of declared values;
b)Fat, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium must not exceed 120% of declared values.
Restrictions on Claims
The proposal explicitly prohibits nutrition content claims and function claims for:
Infant formula foods; Infant formula foods for special medical purposes.
Appendix B newly introduces permitted content and function claims for ingredients such as:
a-Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS);
b-Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS);
c-Polydextrose;
d-Raffinose;
e-Yeast β-glucan;
f-DHA.
Examples of permitted claims include:
“Dietary fiber helps maintain normal intestinal function”;
“DHA contributes to normal visual development in infants.”
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