GB9685-2008 Explained: China’s Hygiene Standard for Food Packaging Additives, Containers and Colorants

The China Dyestuff Industry Association reports that GB9685-2008, Hygiene Standard for the Use of Additives in Food Containers and Packaging Materials, is a national standard issued by the Ministry of Health and the Standardization Administration of China. It entered into force on June 1, 2009, replacing GB9685-2003, Hygienic Standard for the Use of Auxiliary Agents in Food Containers and Packaging Materials. Drafting was led by the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, with the Shanghai Food and Drug Supervision Institute and the Chemical Manufacturers Association taking part.

This standard applies to all producers, operators and users of additives for food containers and packaging materials. Covered products include paper, bamboo, wood, metal, enamel, ceramics, plastics, rubber, natural fibers, chemical fibers, glass and composite packaging materials used to package or hold food, as well as food-contact coatings. It also covers machinery, pipes, conveyor belts, containers, utensils and tableware that contact food during production and operation.

The standard sets out additive use principles, permitted additive varieties, scope of use, maximum use levels, specific migration limits or maximum residue levels, and other restrictive requirements. Its appendices list 959 permitted additives, including 116 dye and pigment varieties; the list is attached. Colorant purity requirements are specified as follows:

1. For impurities detected in 0.1 mol/L hydrochloric acid, the mass fraction relative to the colorant must comply with: antimony ≤0.05%; arsenic ≤0.01%; barium ≤0.01%; cadmium ≤0.01%; chromium (VI) ≤0.1%; lead ≤0.01%; mercury ≤0.005%; selenium ≤0.01%.
2. For other impurities, the mass fraction relative to the colorant must comply with: polychlorinated biphenyls ≤0.0025%; aromatic amines ≤0.05%, among which benzidine, β-naphthylamine and 4-aminobiphenyl must each or in total be ≤0.001%.

Based on the content of the printing copy (the published printed version shall prevail), some usable organic pigments and dye products were not included in the standard list and ceased to be used after June 1.

——This article is republished from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362241.html