What are foods for special dietary uses?

According to National Food Safety Standard the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods for Special Dietary Uses (GB 13432-2013), foods for special dietary uses refer to the foods specially processed or formulated to meet the special dietary demand under special physical or physiologic conditions and (or) disease and disorder. The content of the nutrient and (or) other nutritional ingredients in such foods is significantly different from that in comparable ordinary foods.

What foods are included in foods for special dietary uses?

According to GB 13432-2013 Appendix A Categories of Foods for Special Dietary Uses, they include:

A Infant and young children formulas:

-Infant formulas;

-Older infant formulas and young children formulas;

-Infant formulas for special medical purpose;

B Complementary foods for infants and young children:

-Cereal-based complementary foods for infants and young children;

-Canned complementary foods for infants and young children;

C Food for special medical use (the variety involved in infant formulas for special medical purpose are excluded)

D Other foods for special dietary uses except the above-mentioned categories (including complementary nutrition goods, sports nutrition foods and other foods for special dietary uses with corresponding national food safety standards)

New requirements of the customs for food safety supervision

According to Article 18 of Order No. 249, the GACC shall exercise registration administration on overseas manufacturers that export foods to China, and promulgate the name list of registered manufacturers. According to Article 7 of Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Registration and Administration of Overseas Manufacturers of Imported Food (GACC Order No.248), Overseas manufacturers of the following products shall be recommended by the competent authorities of their countries/regions to the GACC for registration: meat and meat products, casings, aquatic products, dairy products, bird's nests and bird's nest products, bee products, eggs and egg products, edible oils and fats, stuffed pastry products, edible grains, milled grain industry products and malt, fresh and dehydrated vegetables and dried beans, condiments, nuts and seeds, dried fruits, unroasted coffee beans and cocoa beans, foods for special dietary uses and health foods.

The competent authority of the country/region shall examine and inspect the manufacturer to be recommended for registration; after confirming that the manufacturer conforms with the registration requirements, the competent authority of the country/region recommends the producer to the GACC for registration, and submits the following application documents:

1. Letter of recommendation by the competent authority of the country/region;

2. List of recommended manufacturers and the manufacturers' applications for registration;

3. Documents certifying identification of the manufacturer, such as the business license issued by the competent authority of the country/region;

4. Statement that the manufacturer recommended by the competent authority of the country/region conform with requirements of these Regulations;

5. Reports of examinations/inspections/review conducted by the competent authority of the country/region to relevant manufacturers.

If necessary, the GACC may request documents related to the manufacturer's food safety, sanitation, and protection system, such as floor plans of the factory/workshops/cold storages; and the processing flow chart and others.

In other words, overseas manufacturers of imported foods for special dietary uses should be recommended by the competent authorities of their countries/regions to GACC for registration.

Source: GACC

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