Q: How to mark strain in food?

A: The labeling of the strains used in general food is recommended to mark the specific strain name in accordance with the Notice of the Ministry of Health on Issuing "the List of Strains that can be Used in Foods" (No. 65 [2010] of the Office of the Ministry of Health for Supervision).

The labeling of the strains used in infant and young children food is recommended to mark the specific strain name in accordance with the Announcement on the Publication of the List of Strains that can be Used in Infant and Young Children Food (Announcement No. 25 of 2011 of the Ministry of Health).

The strains that are naturally formed during the food production and processing and are not artificially added do not fall under food ingredients and do not need to be marked in the ingredients list.

The content of added strain is recommended to be indicated in the form of 10^6 plus units, that is, "nx10^6 CFU/g" or "nx10^6 CFU/mL".

In August 2022, the National Health Commission issued the Announcement on the Update of the List of Strains that can be Used in Foods and the List of Strains that can be Used in Infant and Young Children Food (Announcement No. 4 of 2022). After the implementation of this announcement, labeling should be carried out in accordance with relevant national food safety standards and the requirements of the announcement.

Source: CFSA

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