The General Office of the State Administration for Market Regulation ("SAMR") has recently issued the Guiding Opinions on Regulating the Use of Food Additives (the "Opinions").
The seven pieces of guiding opinions stated in the Opinions include that: "food producers and operators shall have in place the product standards or ascertain the product formulas for foods they produce and process, and use food additives under the principles on food additive use and in accordance with the types of permitted food additives, the scope of use, and their maximum usage or maximum residual level, as stipulated in the National Food Safety Standard: Food Additive Use Standard (GB 2760)"; "food producers and operators shall use less or no food additives when they are producing or processing foods, and they shall make active efforts to promote the program on less salt, oil and sugar consumption"; "market regulators in all regions shall reinforce supervisory checks and sampling inspections, and focus on inspecting product standards or product formulas, procurement management and feeding of raw materials, auxiliary materials and food additives, product inspections and product labels and marks, and severely and lawfully investigate and crack down upon unlawful acts in relation to the use of food additives beyond the permitted scope or in excess of the maximum level.