In March, the National Health Commission released a total of 98 cases of acceptance and approval information for "three new" foods. There were 36 cases of novel food ingredients, among which 7 cases were accepted, 1 case had review opinions issued, 24 cases were postponed, and 4 cases were for soliciting opinions; There were 48 new varieties of food additives, among which 27 cases were accepted, 2 cases had review opinions issued, 11 cases were postponed, and 8 cases were for soliciting opinions; There were 14 new varieties of food related products, among which 2 cases were accepted, 9 cases were postponed, and 3 cases were for soliciting opinions.

As consumers' awareness of health and wellness continues to rise, functional and personalized raw materials have attracted much attention. The application for such novel food ingredients has also become a key link in the innovation of healthy food. Among them, raw materials such as probiotics, plant extracts and allulose have received much attention. The hot strains of probiotics in the application process mainly focus on the Bifidobacterium. In March alone, six strains of Bifidobacterium were under application, among which two strains were already in the stage of soliciting opinions for inclusion in the List of Bacterial Species which can be Used in Infant and Young Children Food. D-allulose, which has attracted much market attention, was also officially solicited public opinions in March. This is also the first novel food ingredient from genetically modified microorganism to be proposed for approval.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a hot topic in the application for new varieties of food additives. In March, a total of 12 products were applied for, and they accounted for a considerable proportion in the overall application for new varieties of food additives. From the approval situation, 4 cases were accepted, 1 case had review opinions issued, 4 cases were postponed, and 3 cases are for soliciting opinions, indicating that HMOs’ research and review in the application of food additives are steadily advancing. Since 2021, a total of 54 cases of HMOs have been applied for. Among them, 14 cases were approved, including 12 cases of 2'-fucosyllactose and 2 cases of lactose-N-netetraose. All approved products were derived from genetically modified microorganisms. Meanwhile, Antion has successfully completed the application for 2 of these cases and has rich successful experience in the application for such projects. Among the remaining HMOs projects, there are 10 cases in the acceptance stage, 20 cases with review postponed, 2 cases with review opinions issued, and 7 cases without administrative permission.

From the overall application and approval of "three new" foods, there were many cases where the review was postponed in March, including 24 cases of novel food ingredients, 11 cases of new varieties of food additives and 9 cases of new varieties of food related products. On the one hand, it reflects the rigorous attitude of the regulatory authorities in the approval of "three new" foods, ensuring product safety and quality controllability; On the other hand, it also prompts enterprises to conduct thorough research and preparations before applying, thereby enhancing the quality of application. Although the strict approval process may increase enterprise costs and time costs in a short term, in the long run, it helps regulate the development of the industry, and promote the food industry to move towards a healthier and more orderly direction.

Based on the rich and successful experience in the application for "three new" foods, Antion suggests that for the approved "three new" foods, when other enterprises apply for the same product, their quality specifications should be consistent with the approval announcement; For the "three new" foods that are currently under public opinions, if other enterprises apply for the same product, it is recommended to wait until the approval announcement is released before submitting the application materials, so as to shorten the application cycle and reduce the application cost.

Source: Antion

Note: This article is compiled by Antion. Please indicate the source for reprint.