China publishes ‘colouring foods’ standard

Chinese officials have published a new standard to provide regulatory certainty for the definition of “colouring foods”.

Standard “T/CNFIA 101-2017”, which will be formally implemented next January 1, offers definitive advice for products with colour ingredients that are recognised as natural and edible.

It eases the life of manufacturers in replacing additive colours with clean-label solutions and meeting growing consumer demands for more naturalness,” said Victor Foo, general manager of GNT Singapore, one of the natural colour manufacturers that will stand to benefit from the standard.

According to GNT data, 86% of Chinese consumers believe that natural food should have no additives.

It is very clear what consumers in China want and expect, and this new group standard provides manufacturers with the opportunity to delight them,” Foo added.

The standard has strict criteria for colouring foods, which can only be produced from natural and edible raw materials, such as fruits, vegetables, plants and algae, and extracted only through physical processes. The isolation of pigments through organic solvent extraction is not permitted. 

A key requirement is that the characteristic properties of the raw materials, such as flavour, taste, nutritive and colouring constituents, are retained. 

If compliant, colouring foods can simply be declared on an end-product’s label—for example: “Colouring Food (Concentrate of Carrot)”.

The China National Food Industry Association, which has worked on the group standard since 2016, did so in consultation with food industry stakeholders. 

It is consistent with key principles of the EUgGuidance note on the classification of food extracts with colouring properties, thus providing a step forward in achieving globally compliant colour solutions,” GNT said.