Colouring Food Ingredients for the Food Industry came into force nationwide on May 1, 2025, and regulates their production, use, and labelling
EXBERRY colour supplier GNT has welcomed China’s decision to introduce an official industry standard for colouring foods.
“Colouring Food Ingredients for the Food Industry” came into force nationwide on May 1, 2025, and regulates their production, use, and labelling. It has been developed by the China National Food Industry Association (CNFIA) and China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) alongside GNT and other relevant experts and stakeholders.
Colouring Foods – which were first developed by GNT in 1978 – are plant-based, edible concentrates and are used to deliver colour to food, drink, and supplements. China’s new industry standard stipulates that they must be made from fruits, vegetables, plants, or algae that are normally consumed as foodstuffs.
In addition, colouring foods can only be created using physical processing methods and without the use of chemical solvents. Unlike most natural colouring solutions, these products must retain the key properties of the raw materials, including colour, taste, and nutritional value. Rigorous testing and quality control measures are also required to ensure that all colouring food ingredients meet the highest safety standards.
Due to the way they are produced, the standard classifies colouring foods as ingredients rather than additives. This means they qualify for clean and clear label declarations with wordings that reflect the colouring characteristic and the function, such as “carrot colouring ingredient.”
Silke Fallah, Head of Global Regulatory Affairs at GNT Group, said: “This industrial standard is an important step forward for Colouring Foods and a great achievement for getting regulatory clarity for the Chinese market.”
