NFC fruit juice, FC fruit juice, HPP fruit juice... Faced with the dazzling array of fruit juice products on the market, NFC juice is the most popular among consumers. So what are the differences between these fruit juices and what are the requirements in regulations? Antion introduced these contents as follows.
I. Introduction to Fruit Juice
According to the Fruit & Vegetable Juices and Fruit & Vegetable Beverage (Nectars) and its amended document (hereinafter referred to as "GB/T 31121-2014"), fruit juice refers to a fermentable but unfermented juice product made from fruits by physical methods, or a product made by adding an equal amount of water removed during the processing of concentrated fruit juice to reconstitute it.
1. NFC fruit juice
NFC is the abbreviation of Not From Concentrate. In the market, "NFC juice" is usually called "not from concentrate fruit juice". According to GB/T 31121-2014, not from concentrate fruit juice is made directly from fruits by mechanical methods. Among them, the not from concentrate fruit juice made by non-heat treatment or pasteurization is called fresh fruit juice.
2. FC fruit juice
FC is the abbreviation of From Concentrate, which means "from concentrate". Similar to "NFC juice", although "FC juice" is called "from concentrate" on the market, the standard name in the regulations should be "reconstituted juice". According to GB/T 31121-2014, reconstituted juice refers to a product made by adding an equal amount of water removed during the processing of concentrated juice.
3. HPP fruit juice
HPP is the abbreviation of High Pressure Processing, which is actually a process, and there is no relevant provision in regulations. Enterprises can choose to mark it on the label according to the actual situation.
Ⅱ. Labeling Requirements for Fruit Juice
1. Claiming "100%"
According to GB/T 31121-2014, products that meet the requirements of "only adding aroma substances and volatile flavor components obtained from the same fruit by physical methods, and/or fiber, cysts (from citrus fruits) and fruit pulp obtained from the same fruit by physical methods, without adding other substances" can be marked with "100%" anywhere on the label. Otherwise, it can only be marked with "fruit juice content: 100%" near the nutrition information.
2. "Sugar added"
According to GB/T 31121-2014, sugar (including edible sugar and starch sugar) or acidulant or salt can be used to adjust the taste of fruit juice, but they cannot be used at the same time. When sugar (including edible sugar and starch sugar) is added to fruit juice, the word “sugar added” should be indicated near the product name.
3. "0 colorant", "0 preservative", "0 flavoring"
According to GB 7718-2011 National Food Safety Standard General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods, where the labeling of a food places special emphasis on no content of one or more ingredients, the percentage of the emphasized ingredients in the final product should be marked. In addition, the basic premise for claiming "0xx" is that the substance can be used in the product itself, but is not actually used, otherwise it cannot be claimed.
3.1 "0 colorant"
According to GB 2760-2024 National Food Safety Standard Standard for Uses of Food Additives, colorants are not allowed to be added to fruit juice, so "0 colorant" cannot be claimed.
3.2 "0 preservative", "0 flavoring"
According to GB 2760-2024, preservatives and flavorings are allowed to be added to fruit juice. If the content of preservatives and flavorings in product is 0g/kg, "0 preservative" and "0 flavoring" can be claimed on the label and quantitatively indicated. It is also recommended to prepare relevant testing reports for explanation.
4 Storage and transportation conditions
According to GB 7101-2022 National Food Safety Standard Beverages, if a product requires refrigerated or frozen storage and transportation, the storage and transportation conditions should be indicated on the label.
III. Food Additives Allowed in Fruit Juice
Although there are different types of fruit juices, there is no "good" or "bad" distinction. Enterprises should not promote their own products by "pull down" other enterprises' products to avoid losses due to violations of the Advertising Law or the Anti-unfair Competition Law.
Source: Antion
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