China Food Safety Standards for Exporters
Q.01
What are China's national food safety standards (GB standards) that a food exporter to China needs to comply with? Cover the CFSA catalogue and how many standards it holds, and the key standards: GB 2760 food additives, GB 2762 contaminants, GB 2763 pesticide MRLs, GB 7718 and GB 28050 prepackaged food labelling, and GB 4806 food contact materials, including current versions and any recent revisions or new versions taking effect.
A.01
China's food safety rules sit in a single national catalogue of mandatory "食品安全国家标准" GB standards, kept by CFSA. The National Health Commission's latest official edition counts 1,725 standards as of September 2025. Since that edition, three of the standards you asked about have new versions: GB 2762-2025 (contaminants) and GB 2763-2026 (pesticide MRLs) are now in force, and the new labelling standards GB 7718-2025 / GB 28050-2025 apply from 16 March 2027.
Approach: I read the CFSA national food safety standards catalogue in our data. For newer publications I checked official announcements from the NHC, MARA/ICAMA and provincial governments. The catalogue copy we hold is older than the NHC's September 2025 edition: it still lists GB 2762-2022 and GB 2763-2021 as current.
The CFSA catalogue
- Our copy holds 1,693 entries. 1,469 of these are current standards. The other 224 sit in the section for superseded, to-be-superseded and withdrawn standards (被替代（拟替代）和已废止（待废止）标准).
- Current entries by category (1,469 in total):
- Food additive quality specifications: 643
- Physical-chemical test methods: 267
- Veterinary drug residue methods: 125
- Pesticide residue methods: 120
- Nutrition fortifier specifications: 79
- Food product standards: 72
- Microbiological test methods: 46
- Production and operation codes: 39
- Toxicology methods: 29
- Food-related products: 18
- General standards: 15
- Special dietary foods: 10
- Parasite test methods: 6
- The NHC's own edition counts 1,725 standards as of September 2025, including 15 general standards.
- The 15 general standards are what most exporters must meet whatever the product. They cover:
- Mycotoxins: GB 2761-2017 [1]
- Veterinary drug MRLs: GB 31650-2019 and GB 31650.1-2022 [2][3]
- Pathogens in prepackaged foods: GB 29921-2021 [4]
- Nutrition fortifiers: GB 14880-2012 [5]
- Special dietary food labelling: GB 13432-2013 [6]
- Additives for food contact materials: GB 9685-2016 [7]
- Plus the key standards in the table below.
Key standards: current status
| Standard | Version in the catalogue | Recent or upcoming change |
|---|---|---|
| GB 2760 food additives | GB 2760-2024 is current [8]. It replaced GB 2760-2014 on 8 Feb 2025 [9] | Published 8 Feb 2024, in force 8 Feb 2025. Official notices say it bans preservatives in canned foods, narrows the uses of dehydroacetic acid, and brings nutrition fortifiers into the additive definition. CFSA runs a searchable database of the standard. |
| GB 2762 contaminants | GB 2762-2022 [10] | GB 2762-2025 (NHC/SAMR Announcement 2025 No. 6) was published 2 Sep 2025 and took effect 2 Sep 2026. It replaces GB 2762-2022 and its Amendment No. 1. Changes include: revised application principles; new Pb/Cd/As/Cr limits for dried meat products; a revised nitrite limit for packaged drinking water (natural mineral water excluded); a new nitrite limit for edible bird's nest; and a revised Annex A. |
| GB 2763 pesticide MRLs | GB 2763-2021 and GB 2763.1-2022 (112 pesticides) [11][12] | GB 2763-2026 (NHC/MARA/SAMR Announcement 2026 No. 2, dated 12 Feb 2026) has applied since 1 Mar 2026. It merges the two earlier standards, adds 370 limits and revises 23. It sets 10,749 MRLs for 585 pesticides across 13 food categories, and 56.6% of the limits are for vegetables and fruit. 14 matching residue test methods were issued with it. |
| GB 7718 prepackaged food labelling | GB 7718-2025 [13]. GB 7718-2011 is replaced on 16 Mar 2027 [14] | Issued under NHC/SAMR Announcement 2025 No. 2 (50 standards and 9 amendments, March 2025). Covers labels on food sold directly to consumers and on food that is not. |
| GB 28050 nutrition labelling | GB 28050-2025 [15]. GB 28050-2011 is replaced on 16 Mar 2027 [16] | Same announcement and the same 16 March 2027 start date. |
The 2011 labelling standards stay valid until 16 March 2027. Artwork for shipments arriving after that date should follow the 2025 versions.
GB 4806 food contact materials
The catalogue lists these current standards:
- General rules: GB 4806.1-2016 [17]
- By material:
- Teats: GB 4806.2-2015 [18]
- Enamel: GB 4806.3-2016 [19]
- Ceramics: GB 4806.4-2016 [20]
- Glass: GB 4806.5-2016 [21]
- Plastics: GB 4806.7-2023 [22]
- Paper and board: GB 4806.8-2022 [23]
- Metals: GB 4806.9-2023 [24]
- Coatings: GB 4806.10-2016 [25]
- Rubber: GB 4806.11-2023 [26]
- Bamboo and wood: GB 4806.12-2022 [27]
- Multilayer (composite) materials: GB 4806.13-2023 [28]
- Inks: GB 4806.14-2023 [29]
- Adhesives: GB 4806.15-2024 (in force 8 Feb 2025) [30]
- Related standards:
- Additive positive lists: GB 9685-2016. Its Amendment No. 1 came with Announcement 2025 No. 2.
- Migration testing rules: GB 31604.1-2023 [31]
- Replaced on 6 Sep 2024:
- New since our catalogue copy: GB 4806.10-2025 (coatings) and a new GB 4806.16-2025 (silicone rubber) came out under Announcement 2025 No. 6 and took effect 2 Sep 2026. Both contain permitted-substance lists and revised limits, including aromatic primary amines and volatile substances.
- The Shandong Department of Commerce gives the release date as 25 Sep 2025. The GB 2762-2025 text issued under the same announcement shows 2 Sep 2025.
Other changes in the catalogue that affect specific products
- Replaced on 16 Mar 2026:
- To be replaced on 16 Mar 2027: infant formula for special medical purposes, GB 25596-2010 [41]
- Dairy: milk powder GB 19644-2010 was replaced on 8 Feb 2025 [42], and fermented milk GB 19302-2010 on 16 Sep 2025 [43].
I found no official source for a catalogue total later than the NHC's September 2025 figure of 1,725. I can list the full current standards for a specific product category, or the matching test methods, if that would help.
Sources:
- CFSA – 食品安全国家标准目录
- NHC – 食品安全国家标准目录（截至2025年9月共1725项）
- NHC – Announcement 2025 No. 2 (GB 7718-2025 etc.)
- NHC – Announcement 2025 No. 6 (GB 2762-2025 etc.)
- gov.cn – Announcement 2025 No. 6
- GB 2762-2025 text (Minqing County Government)
- MARA – Announcement 2026 No. 2
- ICAMA – GB 2763-2026 analysis
- ICAMA – GB 2763-2026 effective 1 March
- CFSA – GB 2760-2024 database
- Xuancheng Government – GB 2760-2024 in force 8 Feb 2025
- Shandong Dept. of Commerce – FCM regulatory review 2025-2026
Q.02
INDEX
[1]食品安全国家标准 食品中真菌毒素限量CFSA[2]食品安全国家标准 食品中兽药最大残留限量CFSA[3]食品安全国家标准 食品中 41种兽药最大残留限量CFSA[4]食品安全国家标准 预包装 食品中致病菌限量CFSA[5]食品安全国家标准 食品营养强化剂使用标准CFSA[6]食品安全国家标准 预包装特殊膳食用食品标签CFSA[7]食品安全国家标准 食品接触材料及制品用添加剂使用标准CFSA[8]食品安全国家标准 食品添加剂使用标准CFSA[9]食品安全国家标准 食品添加剂使用标准CFSA[10]食品安全国家标准 食品中污染物限量CFSA[11]食品安全国家标准 食品中农药最大残留限量CFSA[12]食品安全国家标准 食品中2,4-滴丁酸钠盐等112种农药最大残留限量CFSA[13]食品安全国家标准 预包装食品标签通则CFSA[14]食品安全国家标准 预包装食品标签通则CFSA[15]食品安全国家标准 预包装食品营养标签通则CFSA[16]食品安全国家标准 预包装食品营养标签通则CFSA[17]食品安全国家标准 食品接触材料及制品通用安全要求CFSA[18]食品安全国家标准 奶嘴CFSA[19]食品安全国家标准 搪瓷制品CFSA[20]食品安全国家标准 陶瓷制品CFSA[21]食品安全国家标准 玻璃制品CFSA[22]食品安全国家标准 食品接触用塑料材料及制品CFSA[23]食品安全国家标准 食品接触用纸和纸板材料及制品CFSA[24]食品安全国家标准 食品接触用金属材料及制品CFSA[25]食品安全国家标准 食品接触用涂料及涂层CFSA[26]食品安全国家标准 食品接触用橡胶材料及制品CFSA[27]食品安全国家标准 食品接触用竹木材料及制品CFSA[28]食品安全国家标准 食品接触用复合材料及制品CFSA[29]食品安全国家标准 食品接触材料及制品用油墨CFSA[30]食品安全国家标准 食品接触材料及制品用黏合剂CFSA[31]食品安全国家标准 食品接触材料及制品迁移试验通则CFSA[32]食品安全国家标准 食品接触用塑料树脂CFSA[33]食品安全国家标准 食品接触用塑料材料及制品CFSA[34]食品安全国家标准 食品接触用金属材料及制品CFSA[35]食品安全国家标准 食品接触用橡胶材料及制品CFSA[36]食品安全国家标准 罐头食品CFSA[37]食品安全国家标准 食用淀粉CFSA[38]食品安全国家标准 稀奶油、奶油和无水奶油CFSA[39]食品安全国家标准 婴幼儿谷类辅助食品CFSA[40]食品安全国家标准 婴幼儿罐装辅助食品CFSA[41]食品安全国家标准 特殊医学用途婴儿配方食品通则CFSA[42]食品安全国家标准 乳粉CFSA[43]食品安全国家标准 发酵乳CFSA
1 QUESTION · 11 STEPS