National Food Safety Standard of the P.R.C.: Food additive Dibutyl hydroxytoluene (BHT) G/SPS/N/CHN/1306

1.

Notifying Member: CHINA

If applicable, name of local government involved:

2.

Agency responsible: National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China

3.

Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable): Food additive Dibutyl hydroxytoluene (BHT)

4.

Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:

[X]     All trading partners

[ ]      Specific regions or countries:

5.

Title of the notified document: National Food Safety Standard of the P.R.C.: Food additive Dibutyl hydroxytoluene (BHT). Language(s): Chinese. Number of pages: 8

https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2024/SPS/CHN/24_04504_00_x.pdf

6.

Description of content: This standard is applicable to dibutyl hydroxytoluene (BHT), a food additive prepared by distillation and recrystallization of the product of alkylation reaction with p-cresol and isobutylene as raw materials under acidic catalyst.

7.

Objective and rationale: [X] food safety, [ ] animal health, [ ] plant protection, [ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from other damage from pests.

8.

Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:

[X]       Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial number of Codex standard or related text): Butylated Hydroxytoluene, formulated at the 30^th JECFA (1986), published in FNP 37 (1986), revised at the 37^th JECFA (1990) and republished in FNP 52 (1992).

[ ]        World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic Animal Health Code, chapter number):

[ ]        International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number):

[ ]        None

Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?

[ ] Yes   [X] No

If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the international standard:

• The main content index in this standard is stricter than that in JECFA, which is obtained according to the accumulated quality data;
• The melting range index in JECFA is used for qualitative analysis, and the melting range index in this standard which is obtained according to the accumulated quality data can be used as quantitative index instead of the freezing point index in JECFA;
• Following the original standard, arsenic content index was set to ensure the quality and safety of food additives, which is not set by JECFA, but set by JSFA 9 and KR Food Additives Code (2019);
• Following the original standard, the moisture index was set to ensure the quality and safety of food additive products, which is not set by JECFA;
• Following the original standard, sulphate sub-index was set to ensure the quality and safety of food additives, which is not set by JECFA, but set by JSFA 9 and KR Food Additives Code (2019);
• The index of "phenolic impurities ≤0.5" in JECFA determined by TLC and limit method. Following the original standard, the index of "free phenol (calculated by p-cresol)" in this standard measured by titration method, which can be accurately quantified.

9.

Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  

10.

Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy): To be determined.

Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy): To be determined.

11.

Proposed date of entry into force: [ ] Six months from date of publication, and/or (dd/mm/yy): To be determined.

[ ]      Trade facilitating measure

12.

Final date for comments: [X] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the notification and/or (dd/mm/yy): 9 September 2024

Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [ ] National Notification Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:

WTO/SPS National Notification and Enquiry Center of the People's Republic of China

Tel: +(86 10) 5795 4645/5795 4642

E-mail: sps@customs.gov.cn

13.

Text(s) available from: [ ] National Notification Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:

WTO/SPS National Notification and Enquiry Center of the People's Republic of China

Tel: +(86 10) 5795 4645/5795 4642

E-mail: sps@customs.gov.cn