Hygienic Standard for the Use of Additives in Food Containers and Packaging Materials (GB9685-2008)

This standard specifies the principles for the use of additives for food containers and packaging materials, the permitted varieties of additives, the scope of use, the maximum usage level, the specific migration limit or maximum residue level, and other restrictive requirements. It lists, in the form of an appendix, a list of 959 permitted additives (of which 116 are dye and pigment varieties; the list is attached below). The standard specifies purity requirements for colorants:

1. The mass fraction of impurities detected in 0.1 mol/L hydrochloric acid relative to the colorant shall 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. The mass fraction of other impurities relative to the colorant shall comply with: polychlorinated biphenyls ≤0.0025%; aromatic amines ≤0.05%, of which benzidine, β-naphthylamine and 4-aminobiphenyl shall each or in total be ≤0.001%.

According to what is understood from the content of the copy sent to press (the promulgated printed version shall prevail in the end), a portion of the organic pigments and dye products that may be used are not included in the standard's list and will cease to be used after June 1.

Attached product list:

1. Zinc oxide; C.I. Pigment White 4
2. Iron oxide black; C.I. Pigment Black 11
3. Iron oxide; C.I. Pigment Red 101
4. Phthalocyanine Green G; C.I. Pigment Green 7
5. Phthalocyanine Blue; C.I. Pigment Blue 15
6. Phthalocyanine; C.I. Pigment Blue 16
7. Hydrated iron oxide; C.I. Pigment Yellow 42
8. Bisbenzimidazo[2,1-b:2',1'-i]benzo[lmn][3,8]phenanthroline-8,17-dione;

C.I. Pigment Orange 43

1. Cobalt aluminate; C.I. Pigment Blue 2
2. Titanium dioxide; C.I. Pigment White 6
3. N-[4-(aminocarbonyl)phenyl]-4-[[1-[[(2,3-dihydro-2-oxo-1H-benzimidazol-5-yl)-amino]carbonyl]-2-oxopropyl]azo]aniline; C.I. Pigment Yellow 181
4. N-[2-(4-cyclohexylphenoxy)ethyl]-N-ethyl-4-(2,2-dicyanovinyl)-3-toluidine; C.I. Disperse Yellow 201
5. N,N'-1,4-phenylene-bis[4-(2,5-dichlorophenyl)azo]-3-hydroxynaphthalene-2-carboxamide; C.I. Pigment Red 166
6. N,N'-(6,13-diacetylamino-2,9-diethoxy-3,10-triphenodioxazinediyl)dibenzamide; C.I. Pigment Violet 37
7. N,N'-(2,5-dichloro-1,4-phenylene)bis[4-[(2,5-dichlorophenyl)azo]-3-hydroxy-2-naphthamide; C.I. Pigment Red 214
8. N-(4-chloro-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-4-[[2-methoxy-5-[(phenylamino)carbonyl]phenyl]azo]-2-naphthamide; C.I. Pigment Red 146
9. N-(2,3-dihydro-2-oxo-1H-benzimidazol-5-yl)-3-oxo-2-[[2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]azo]butyramide; C.I. Pigment Yellow 154

Learned from the China Dyestuff Industry Association: the national standard GB9685-2008 "Hygienic Standard for the Use of Additives for Food Containers and Packaging Materials", drafted under the responsibility of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention with the participation of the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration Institute and the Chemical Manufacturers Association, and issued by the Ministry of Health and the Standardization Administration of China, will come into effect on June 1, 2009. This standard replaces GB9685-2003 "Hygienic Standard for the Use of Auxiliaries for Food Containers and Packaging Materials".

This standard applies to all producers, operators and users of additives for food containers and packaging materials. It covers products such as paper, bamboo, wood, metal, enamel, ceramics, plastics, rubber, natural fibers, chemical fibers, glass and composite packaging materials used for packaging and containing food, as well as coatings in contact with food, including machinery, pipes, conveyor belts, containers, utensils and tableware that come into contact with food in the course of food production and operation.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn), original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362302.html