Brief Introduction to Some of the Newly Approved National Standards on Food

GB 2712-2003 The Hygienic Standard of Fermented Bean Products This standard stipulates the specification, food additives, hygienic requirements of production and processing, packaging, marking, storage and transportation requirements and inspection methods for fermented bean products. It applies to fermented bean products such as fermented bean curd, fermented soya beans and fermented beans made from soya beans and other beans.

Brief Introduction to Some of the Newly Approved National Standards of Foods

GB 7098-2003 'Hygienic Standard for Canned Edible Fungi' The standard stipulates the index requirements for canned edible fungi and the hygienic requirements and inspection methods of food additives and production processe. The standard applies to canned food made with edible fungi as raw material through deaeration, sealing, heat sterilization and cooling, etc. The standard specifies sensory requirements in that the container observed under natural light should be sealed, without damage,leakage or buckling.The flaking of the interior coating.The contents shall haev the normal color and smell of canned edible fungi, without abnormal smell or impurities.

The New Standards System for Processing Food to Be Proved

It is reported that the work of re-structuring the frame of China national standards system for processing food has been finished with the print and distribution of 2004-2005 Development Plan of National Standards for Food (hereinafter Plan).

No country is an island in regulating food safety:How the WTO monitors Chinese food safety laws through the Trade Policy Review Mechanism(TPRM)

Established within the framework of the World Trade Organization （WTO）, the Trade Policy Review Mechanism （TPRM） reviews periodically the trade policies of all WTO Members. The review includes many aspects of food safety regulation. China＇s trade policy is reviewed every two years. This paper analyses in detail the reviews of China＇s trade policy in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014. It focuses in particular on food safety laws and types of standards, alignment of domestic standards with international standards, the role of different domestic institutions, transparency and notification of food safety measures under the WTO agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures （SPS） and on Technical Barriers to Trade （TBTAgreement）, import and export, and geographical indications （GIs）. It concludes that the WTO TPRM can contribute, within its mandate, to reform of Chinese food safety laws and improvement of food safety in China. it notes that China has already undertaken substantial reforms of its system for regulating food safety. It recommends that China should continue to participate actively in the TPRM, follow its own path with regard to alignment and learn selectively from other WTO Members.

Honey Safety Standards and Its Impacts on China's Honey Export

Food safety standard draws increasing concerns on agricultural trade throughout the world.This paper aims to assess the impact of maximum residual limit standard（MRL） of chloromycetin on honey exporting from China.To achieve this objective,the paper discusses the trends of China＇s honey production and export practices,analyzes changes on MRL of chloromycetin adopted by major importing countries,and use a gravity model to estimate the impact of MRL of chloromycetin on China＇s honey export.The results show that despite the rapid growth of China＇s honey production,honey export has declined significantly since 2000.The major reason of declining honey export was mainly due to the more stringent food safety standards indicated by MRL of chloromycetin imposed by importing countries on their honey imports.

“No Need to Get Salty” Or Is There? Sodium Functionality as a Consideration in Nutrition Public Health Policy

Aim: Public health professionals focus on both downstream (individual) and upstream (population-level) interventions to reduce sodium consumption and prevent sodium-related chronic diseases. Effective upstream interventions specifically aimed at reducing dietary sodium intake include the implementation of comprehensive nutrition standards that restrict the amount of sodium contained in foods available for purchase. The aim of this work was to identify sought-after foods that did not meet the Philadelphia Nutrition Standards’ sodium limits and reformulate those foods to be standards-compliant and consumer-acceptable. Subject and Methods: Two foods were reformulated for compliancy with the Philadelphia Nutrition Standards’ sodium limits and consumer acceptability: the hoagie roll and soft pretzel. Reformulation included sensory testing and engaging potential manufacturing partners to investigate products’ commercial potential. Results: While hoagie roll reformulation led to a local company manufacturing and selling the reformulated product, soft pretzel reformulation stalled due to lack of consumer acceptability of the reformulated product. Salt contributes desirable characteristics in the texture, taste, and appearance of the soft pretzel, the absence of which consumers found unacceptable. Conclusion: Product reformulation holds great potential to create lower-sodium foods that otherwise have all of the characteristics of the higher-sodium “original” products but requires an understanding of the role of salt in product recipes. Reducing salt without considering its multiple functions in food may result in a product that is unacceptable or even unsafe. A simple four-step tool can help public health practitioners evaluate the extent to which products are suitable for reformulation.