. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SPS/N/CHN/398 
20 July 2011 
 (11-3652) 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Notifying Member:  CHINA 
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Health (MOH) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO;  ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable):  Food additive Indigotine 
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 of the People's Republic 
of China:  Food Additive Indigotine  Language(s):  Chinese  Number of pages:  14 
 http://members.wto.org/crnatt achments/2011/sps/CHN/11_2265_00_x.pdf  
6. Description of content:  This standard applies to food additive Indigotine made from 
indigotine through sulfuration and refining.  It specifies the technical requirements and 
testing methods for food additive Indigotine.  
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 stan dard?  If so, identify the standard:  
[X] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex standard 
or related text)  
 The specification of Indigotine prepared at the 73rd JECFA (2010).  
[ ] 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:   G/SPS/N/CHN/398 
Page 2  
 
  The index of this standard are as follows: 
I t e m          I n d e x   
Total colouring matters/%     ≥ 85.0 
Loss on drying together with chloride and  
sulfate calculated as sodium salts/%    ≤ 15.0 
Water insoluble matter/%     ≤ 0.20 
Subsidiary colouring matters/%     ≤ 1.0 
Arsenic (As)/(mg/kg)      ≤ 1 
Lead (Pb)/(mg/kg)      ≤ 10 
All the changes are based on th e analysis of Chinese products. 
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:      
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) :  18 September 2011 
Agency or authority designated to handl e comments:  [ ] National Notification 
Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if 
available) of other body:    
13. Texts available from:  [ ] National Notification  Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point.  
Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body: