G/SPS/N/CHN/1029  
 
20 November 2015  
(15-6169)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
1. Notifying Member: CHINA 
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible: National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People's 
Republic of China (NHFPC) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item  number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; IC S numbers should be provided in 
addition, where applicable): Food additive Xylitol 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document: National Food Safety Standard: Food additive Xylitol  
Language(s): Chinese  Number of pages: 12 
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/SPS/CHN/15_4659_00_x.pdf  
6. Description of content: This standard applies to food additive xylitol, which is made 
from corncob, bagasse and other agricultural products as raw materials, and obtained 
through hydrolysis, purification and hydrogenation. It stipulates the technical requirements and test methods for xylitol.  
7. Objective and rationale: [X] food safety, [ ] animal health, [ ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   
8. Is there a relevant international st andard? If so, identify the standard:  
[X] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial  n u m b e r  o f  C o d e x  
standard or related text) The 46th meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert 
Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) (1996) 
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)    
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)    
[ ] None 
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   
[ ] Yes   [X] No If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:  
1. For the determination of content of xylitol and other polyols, besides the gas 
chromatography (same as JECFA), the liquid chromatography (the external standard 
method and the area normalization method) is added, taking into consideration the actual situation of enterprises in China; G/SPS/N/CHN/1029 
 
- 2 - 
 
  2. Adds the "dry weight loss" index, delete the "water" index; 
3. For determination of reducing sugars (as glucose), the color contrast in original 
method is not obvious, so revised and replaced by Bennett titration in this standard; 
4. Considering the risks of nickel to consumers' health and safety, nickel shall not be 
more than 1.0mg/kg; 
5. Considering the risks of high arsenic content in products to consumers' health and 
safety, the index of arsenic is added in this standard to ensure safety in the use of 
this food additive. Arsenic shall not be more than 3.0mg/kg. 
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available: None   
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined. 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined. 
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [ ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined. 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [X] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 19 January 2016 
Agency or authority designated to hand le comments: [ ] National Notification 
Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address 
(if available) of other body:   
13. Text(s) available from: [ ] National Notifi cation Authority, [X] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body: