This article summarizes the regulatory developments related to food within China and internationally in April 2025, with an emphasis on updates in regulations concerning new food ingredients, food additives, feed additives, and health foods.
In April 2025, the National Technical Committee on Standardization of Special Foods (TC466) released eight national standards for health foods. They are:
"Determination of Pantothenic Acid in Health Foods" (GB/T 22246-2025)
"Determination of Inositol in Health Foods" (GB/T 45242-2025)
"Determination of Thiamine, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine, Niacin, Nicotinamide and Caffeine in Health Foods" (GB/T 45243-2025)
"Determination of Icariin in Health Foods" (GB/T 22247-2024)
"Determination of Lycopene in Health Foods" (GB/T 22249-2024)
"Determination of Puerarin in Health Foods" (GB/T 22251-2024)
"Determination of Coenzyme Q10 in Health Foods" (GB/T 22252-2024)
"Determination of Chromium Picolinate in Health Foods" (GB/T 45168-2024)
2. On April 23, 2025, China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) released the "Q&A on the Registration of Infant Formula for Special Medical Purposes According to the New National Standard," which interprets the following questions:
When can applicants submit registration applications according to the new national standard? When must production be organized according to the new national standard?
When applicants submit registration applications according to the new national standard, under what circumstances should they be processed as changes? Under what circumstances should they be processed as new product registrations?
What application materials are required for already registered infant formula for special medical purposes to apply for registration (including changes) according to the new national standard?
Is it necessary to submit stability study materials for already registered products applying for registration (including changes) according to the new national standard?
Is it necessary to conduct on-site production verification and sampling inspection for already registered products applying for registration (including changes) according to the new national standard?
Official link: https://www.samr.gov.cn/zw/zfxxgk/fdzdgknr/tssps/art/2025/art_43a4e9c97daf465983078ecaa9479062.html
3. On April 24, 2025, China's SAMR issued a public consultation on the draft "Catalog of Permitted Health Claims for Health Foods: Aids in Maintaining Joint Health." Stakeholders are invited to submit their feedback by June 2, 2025. For more details, visit here.
On April 15, 2025, the Secretariat of the National Food Safety Standards Review Committee issued a draft of the 2025 National Food Safety Standard Legislative Plan. The plan lists 60 national food safety standards to be prioritized for development or revision, such as the "General Standard for Food Claims," focusing on risk prevention and control and urgent industrial needs, covering multiple areas such as food claims, food additives, product standards, and testing methods.
Official link: http://www.nhc.gov.cn/sps/s3593/202504/9b5ddd3473c14f069930a1014caaabca.shtml
On April 18, 2025, China's General Administration of Customs (GACC) published its list of non-compliant imported food products for March 2025. A total of 231 batches from 40 countries and regions were denied entry, marking a 13.5% decrease compared to the previous month and an 8.0% decline year-on-year. Compressed candies have become a common category for import rejections in China, primarily due to the excessive or unauthorized use of nutritional fortifiers. For more details, visit here.
1. On April 10, 2025, Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare revised the health food bone health efficacy evaluation method, mainly deleting animal experiments, and adjusting the conditions of test subjects, the number of test subjects, and safety monitoring items, while revising data analysis methods and health efficacy descriptions, aiming to improve the clarity and comprehensiveness of experimental specifications.
Official link: https://www.mohw.gov.tw/cp-16-82102-1.html
2. On April 24, 2025, Taiwan revised the standards for the types and permissible limits of pathogenic microorganisms and health-hazardous substances in pet food, involving the following content:
-Clarify the definition of standard terms;
-Specify the content criteria for mycotoxins in pet food;
-Specify the content criteria for heavy metals in pet food;
Official link: https://www.moa.gov.tw/theme_data.php?theme=news&sub_theme=agri&id=9740
In April 2025, the EU authorized vitamin D2 mushroom powder as a novel food. The applicant was Luxidum GmbH.
In April, the EU also authorized modifications to:
The conditions of use for the novel food DHA algal oil (derived from Schizochytrium sp. (FCC-3204)) (the scope of use was expanded to protein products intended for the general population (excluding dairy analogues)).
The specifications of the novel food partially defatted rapeseed powder from Brassica rapa L. and Brassica napus L.
Official links:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202500691
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202500688
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32025R0682
Regulation (EU) 2025/666 amended Annexes II and III of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 and Regulation (EU) No 231/2012, revoking the authorization for the use of sodium carboxy methyl cellulose (E 466) in foods for special medical purposes intended for infants and young children (food categories 13.1.5.1 and 13.1.5.2), and reducing the limits for toxic elements (such as arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium) in all cellulose additives (E 460–E 469). It also corrected the term "solution" to "dispersion" in the specifications. The regulation set a transition period: October 27, 2025, for products placed on the market before that date for general foods, and April 27, 2027, for products placed on the market before that date for infant and young children foods.
In addition, Regulation (EU) 2025/651 amended Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, authorizing the use of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E 471) as glazing agents on the surface of passion fruit, kiwis, and cassava, the use of carnauba wax (E 903) on the surface of cassava, and allowing lecithins (E 322) and fatty acids (E 570) to be used as carriers in glazing agents for cassava.
Official links:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202500666
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202500651
In April 2025, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published 2 scientific opinions related to novel foods:
Dried biomass powder of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii THN 6: Based on available data, its safety could not be determined.
Expanded scope of use for 3-FL derived from Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) JBT: It is safe as a novel food under the proposed conditions of use.
In April 2025, EFSA published 8 scientific opinions related to food ingredients, involving acesulfame K (E 950), silver (E 174), alternansucrase produced by genetically modified Escherichia coli strain EBASSC, tannase produced by non-genetically modified Aspergillus niger strain TAN 206, and β-galactosidase produced by non-genetically modified Kluyveromyces lactis strain LAC-01, etc.
Regarding feed additives, EFSA published 27 related scientific opinions in April 2025, involving dicopper dichloride trihydroxide, sepiolite clay, capsaicin, guanidinoacetic acid, diatomaceous earth, and patchouli oil, etc.
Official link: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/search
On April 7, 2025, the Belgian SPF Santé Publique (Federal Public Service for Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment) published a guidance document on steviol glycosides. This guidance document concerns new production methods and labeling of steviol glycosides. The document contains a non-exhaustive list of claims that can be used voluntarily on the packaging or advertising of products containing steviol glycosides, as well as the Belgian authorities' assessment of these claims, conditions of use, and the types of steviol glycosides that can be used (e.g., statements such as "contains steviol glycosides," "contains steviol sweetener," "contains stevia extract - steviol glycosides," "contains stevia," "stevia," "contains stevia extract," etc.).
Official link: https://www.health.belgium.be/fr/edulcorant-glycosides-de-steviol-etiquetage-et-publicite
1. On April 18, 2025, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) plans to update allergen programs/docs, removing coconut as a major allergen per FDA guidance. While FDA no longer considers coconut a major allergen, it still requires labeling due to allergenic proteins.
Official link: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/news-events/news-press-releases/constituent-update-april-18-2025
2. On April 22, 2025, the U.S. FDA and HHS announced plans to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic food colorings in food by the end of 2026, including the development of transitional standards, revocation of authorizations for some synthetic colorings, and elimination of the remaining six synthetic dyes. They will also accelerate the approval of natural alternative colorings.
Official link: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/hhs-fda-phase-out-petroleum-based-synthetic-dyes-nations-food-supply
On April 4, 2025, ANVISA published the third edition of "Guideline 16 - Guidelines for Determining the Shelf Life of Food." The guideline is divided into two parts: the first introduces concepts and theoretical definitions related to changes in food, and the second details the methods and protocols for defining its validity. The new version also includes explanatory diagrams, appendices, and an updated bibliography to facilitate understanding and practical application.
Official link: https://www.gov.br/anvisa/pt-br/assuntos/noticias-anvisa/2025/anvisa-atualiza-guia-sobre-validade-de-alimentos
1. On April 1, 2025, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) updated the "Requirements for the Safety Assessment of Novel Foods," which includes:
Novel foods refer to foods or ingredients that have not been widely consumed in the past 20 years, excluding foods with a history of safe use and insect foods.
Regarding safety assessments, companies must provide proof of a safe history of consumption, add safety assessment methods for biological substances such as cultured meat, refine toxicity assessment requirements, and update allergenicity assessment methods.
For taste and sensory evaluations, companies that have undergone preliminary assessment can apply for exemptions, and self-assessment checklists and online application forms have been introduced to facilitate communication between companies and the SFA.
2. The Singapore Ministry of Health will extend Nutri-Grade labeling requirements and advertising prohibitions to key sources of sodium and saturated fat intake starting in mid-2027. Previously, the Ministry of Health announced in August 2024 that it would expand Nutri-Grade measures to address the high prevalence of hypertension and hyperlipidemia.
Official link: https://www.moh.gov.sg/newsroom/nutri-grade-requirements-sodium-and-saturated-fat
On April 2, 2025, South Korea's National Assembly officially passed the Synthetic Biology Promotion Act, making it the first country in the world to enact legislation specifically dedicated to the field of synthetic biology. The law will come into effect in 2026, following cabinet approval and promulgation, after a one-year preparation period. For more details, visit here.
*This article is compiled by ZMUni Compliance Center, based on the latest regulatory updates from food-related regulatory authorities/agencies in various countries/regions.
