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China NHC Newly Approved 7 New Food Raw Materials and 7 New Food Additives

from CIRS by

On May 27, 2026, National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHC) issued an announcement (No. 2 of 2026) for “Three New Foods” with 16 products approved, including 7 new food raw materials and 7 new food additives.

Details are as follows:

New food raw materials (7 types)

Peony seed oil

Name

Peony seed oil

Basic information

Source: seeds of Paeonia ostii T. Hong & J. X. Zhang and Paeonia rockii (S. G. Haw& Lauener) T. Hong & J. J. Li

Brief introduction of production process

Made from the seeds of Paeonia ostii T. Hong & J. X. Zhang and Paeonia rockii (S. G. Haw& Lauener) T. Hong & J. J. Li, produced through processes such as pressing, decolorization, and deodorization.

Specifications

Appearance

Light yellow to yellow oily liquid

Fatty acid composition (percentage of total fatty acids):

Oleic acid (C18:1), %

≥ 21.0

Linoleic acid (C18:2), %

≥ 25.0

Linolenic acid (C18:3), %

≥ 38.0

Other information

1. The scope of use does not include infant and young children foods.

2. Food safety indicators shall comply with the requirements for vegetable oils and fats as specified in the current Chinese National Food Safety Standards.

Nekemias grossedentata leaf polyphenols

Name

Nekemias grossedentata leaf polyphenols

Basic information

Source: leaves of Nekemias grossedentata (Hand.-Mazz.) J. Wen& Z. L. Nie

Brief introduction of production process

Produced using the leaves of Nekemias grossedentata (Hand.-Mazz.) J. Wen& Z. L. Nie as raw material, processed through a series of steps including ethanol extraction, decolorization, concentration, filtration, and drying.

Recommend level

≤ 470 mg (calculated based on a total polyphenol content of 85 g/100g; for products exceeding this level, the intake should be adjusted based on the actual content).

Other information

1. Scope of use and maximum dosage:

- dairy and dairy products: modified milk and flavored fermented milk (0.5 g/kg), modified milk powder calculated based on the reconstituted liquid mass, cheese, processed cheese, cheese products, and condensed milk calculated based on the multiplication factor of raw milk.

- beverages: liquid beverages ≤50 mL packaging (5 g/kg), 51–500 mL packaging (0.5 g/kg), and solid beverages calculated based on the reconstituted liquid mass.

- jelly: 8 g/kg.

- cocoa products, chocolate, and chocolate products (including cocoa butter substitute products): 8 g/kg.

- candy: 25 g/kg.

- frozen desserts: 5 g/kg.

- alcoholic beverages: 2.5 g/kg.

- preserved fruits: 5 g/kg.

2. Infants, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers should avoid consumption. Labels and instructions must clearly indicate the unsuitable populations and consumption limits.

3. Quality standards and food safety indicators refer to the appendix.

Cyclocarya paliurus leaf polyphenols

Name

Cyclocarya paliurus leaf polyphenols

Basic information

Leaves of Cyclocaryapaliurus (Batalin) Iljinsk.

Brief introduction of production process

Made from leaves of Cyclocaryapaliurus (Batalin) Iljinsk., produced through processes such as hot water extraction, filtration, concentration, and drying.

Recommended intake

≤ 3 g/day

Other information

1. Scope of use and maximum dosage:

- dairy and dairy products: modified milk and flavored fermented milk (3 g/kg), modified milk powder calculated based on the reconstituted liquid mass, cheese, processed cheese, cheese products, and condensed milk calculated based on the multiplication factor of raw milk.

- beverages: liquid beverages ≤50 mL packaging (30 g/kg), 51–500 mL packaging (3 g/kg), and solid beverages calculated based on the reconstituted liquid mass.

- jelly: 48 g/kg.

- cocoa products, chocolate, and chocolate products (including cocoa butter substitute products): 48 g/kg.

- candy: 60 g/kg.

- frozen desserts: 30 g/kg.

- alcoholic beverages: 15 g/kg.

- preserved fruits: 30 g/kg.

2. Infants, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers should avoid consumption. Labels and instructions must clearly indicate the unsuitable populations and consumption limits.

3. Quality standards and food safety indicators refer to the appendix.

Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis XLTG11

Name

Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis XLTG11

Other information

1. The strain is approved and included in the List of Microorganisms That Can Be Used in Food.

2. The food safety indicators shall comply with the requirements of the National Food Safety Standard for Microbial Preparations Used in Food Processing (GB 31639). Cronobacter spp. must not be detected (per 100 g).

Mycoprotein from Fusarium compactum

Name

Mycoprotein from Fusarium compactum

Basic information

Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz

Brief introduction of production process

Produced using the Fusarium compactum strain MM-135 as the production organism, through a process involving fermentation, nucleic acid removal, inactivation, and filtration.

Other information

1. Infants, toddlers, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and individuals allergic to edible fungi should not consume this product; the label and accompanying instructions shall clearly indicate the unsuitable populations.

2. Quality specifications and food safety indicators are provided in the Appendix.

Chlorella pyrenoidosa

Name

Chlorella pyrenoidosa

Basic information

Genus Chlorella (Family Chlorellaceae)

Brief introduction of production process

Chlorella pyrenoidosa is produced through processes including cultivation, separation, washing, and drying.

Recommended intake

≤ 20 g/day

Specifications

Properties

Dark green to black-green powder/granules

Pale yellow to yellow powder/granules

Protein, g/100g ≥

50.0

35.0

Moisture, g/100g ≤

7.0

7.0

Ash, g/100g ≤

7.0

7.0

Other information

1. The scope of use does not include infant and young children foods.

2. Food safety indicators shall be implemented in accordance with the provisions regarding algae and algae products set forth in current national food safety standards.

Plant sterol

Name

Plant sterol

Basic information

Source: Soybean oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, sunflower seed oil, tall oil

1. β-Sitosterol structural formula:

Molecular formula: C29H50O

Molecular weight: 414.71

2. Campesterol structural formula:

Molecular formula: C28H48O

Molecular weight: 400.66

3. Stigmasterol structural formula:

Molecular formula: C29H48O

Molecular weight:412.69

Brief introduction of production process

Process 1: Produced using fractions of soybean oil or other vegetable oils, or tall oil, as raw materials, via processes such as saponification, extraction, and crystallization;

Process 2: Produced using fractions of soybean oil or other vegetable oils as raw materials, via processes such as esterification, distillation, and crystallization.

Recommended intake

≤ 2.4 g/day

Specifications

Properties

White to off-white powder or granules

Phytosterols, % ≥

90.0

 

Soybean oil and other vegetable oils

Tall oil

β-Sitosterol, % ≥

30.0

β-Sitosterol, % ≥

70.0

Campesterol, % ≥

15.0

Campesterol, % ≥

4.0

Stigmasterol, % ≥

12.0

Stigmasterol, % ≥

0.4

Other information

1. The scope of application excludes foods intended for infants and young children.

2. The information regarding phytosterols contained in Announcement No. 3 of 2010 issued by the former Ministry of Health is hereby superseded.

3. Food safety specifications must comply with the following regulations:

Lead (Pb), mg/kg ≤

0.1

Total Arsenic (As), mg/kg ≤

0.1

Benzo[a]pyrene, μg/kg ≤

10.0

New food additives (7 types)

New food enzymes

No.

Enzyme

Source

Donor

1

Xylanase

Bacillus licheniformis

Chryseobacterium

2

Cellulase

Trichoderma reesei

Trichodermareesei

The quality specifications for enzymes used in the food industry shall comply with the provisions outlined in the National Food Safety Standard for Food Additives – Enzymes for Food Industry (GB 1886.174).

New food additives with expanded scope

Name

Function

Cat.

Food Name

Maximum Level

(g/kg)

Note

Calcium alginate

Thickene, stabilizer, and gelling agent

01.06.04

processed cheese and cheese products

5.0

-

05.01.02

chocolate and chocolate products, cocoa products (excluding those under category 05.01.01);

5.0

16.06

puffed food

3.0

Food nutrition enhancers with expanded scope

Name

Cat.

Food Name

Maximum Level (g/kg)

Note

Calcium 6S-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate

13.05

Other foods for special dietary uses (excluding categories 13.01–13.04) (limited to nutritional supplements for complementary foods)

Expressed as folic acid, complies with the provisions regarding the use of folic acid in nutritional supplements for complementary foods as stipulated in the National Food Safety Standard: Nutritional Supplements for Complementary Foods (GB 22570).

-

Food additives with supplementary quality specification

  • 2’-fucosyllactose,2’-FL

Application scope, usage level and specifications: The application scope and specification for 2'-Fucosyllactose shall follow the Announcement No. 8 of 2023 issued by the National Health Commission (except for the information on the production strains used for 2'-Fucosyllactose production in Appendix C). The information on the production strains for this new nutrition enhancer is provided in the table below.

Nutrition enhancer

Source

Donor

2’-fucosyllactose

Escherichia coli C43 (DE3)

Bacillus cereus

Kluyveromyces lactis K-12

BW25113

Mycobacterium spp.

  • 3’-sialyllactose sodium salt, 3’-SL

Application scope, usage level and specifications: The application scope and specification for 3'-SL shall follow the Announcement No. 1 of 2026 issued by the National Health Commission (except for the information on the production strains used for 3'-SL production in Appendix A). The information on the production strains for this new nutrition enhancer is provided in the table below.

Nutrition enhancer

Source

Donor

3'-SL

Escherichia coli BL 21 (DE3)

Haemophilus parahaemolyticus

Kluyveromyces lactis K-12

MG1655

Neisseria meningitidis

  • Lacto-N-neotetraose

Function: food nutrition enhancer

Quality Specifications

The quality specifications for this substance shall be implemented in accordance with Announcement No. 8 of 2023 issued by the National Health Commission (except for the production strain information for Lacto-N-neotetraose listed in Appendix D). The production strain information for this new variety of nutritional fortifier is shown in the table below.

Nutrition enhancer

Source

Donor

Lacto-N-neotetraose

Escherichia coli BL21 star (DE3)

Neisseria meningitidis and Helicobacter pylori

About CIRS Food Team

The vast majority of team members in CIRS Food Business Division have over 10 years of professional experience in food compliance, with more than 80% hold Master’s or Doctoral degrees in food-related disciplines. The CIRS toxicology expert team consists 24 Chinese Certified Toxicologists (DCST), 2 American Board Certified Toxicologists (DABT), and 2 European Registered Toxicologists (ERT). CIRS has provided one-stop food compliance services to over 1,000 domestic and international food and related enterprises. Leveraging its technical expertise, diverse resources, and global network, the CIRS Food Business Division offers global food compliance services, including but not limited to:

If you need any assistance or have any questions, please get in touch with us via service@cirs-group.com.

  

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