,"In a major regulatory update, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) and the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) have jointly released the GB 2762-2025 National Food Safety Standard: Maximum Levels of Contaminants in Foods, replacing the previous GB 2762-2022 and its No.1 Amendment Sheet. The revised standard will officially take effect on September 2, 2026.
Key Revisions in GB 2762-2025
1. Packaged Drinking Water
The new standard sets a maximum nitrite level of 0.1 mg/L for packaged drinking water (excluding natural mineral water), aligning it with the limit for natural mineral water. This revision positions China among the countries with the most stringent nitrite regulations globally, being 5 to 30 times stricter than standards in Europe, the United States, and other international benchmarks.
The rationale behind this change is twofold:
Protecting public health by minimizing exposure to harmful contaminants.
Promoting sustainability by reducing the need for excessive purification processes, thereby lowering energy consumption and supporting the eco-friendly development of the packaged water industry.
2. Dried Meat Products
To improve regulatory clarity and enforcement, GB 2762-2025 introduces specific heavy metal limits for dried meat products. This addresses long-standing challenges in inspections, where dehydration rates and calculation methods varied widely.
A notable addition is the inclusion of “cooked dried meat products” in the food category descriptions under Appendix A. Editorial updates were also made to Table 10, although the maximum level of 3.0 µg/kg for N-dimethyl nitrosamine in these products remains unchanged."
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