When it comes to hot words in the food field in recent years, plant-based food will naturally come to mind. What exactly is this product that many well-known food enterprises have deployed? What are the requirements for labeling? Antion sorted out the relevant regulations currently issued for enterprises to understand and refer to.
01 Definition and classification of plant-based food
According to T/CIFST 002-2021 General Principle for Plant-based Foods, plant-based foods refer to "foods that use plant raw materials (including algae and fungi) or their products as sources of protein, fat, etc., with or without other ingredients, made through certain processes, and have quality characteristics such as texture, flavor and shape similar to certain animal-derived foods." Protein and fat of animal origin shall not be added.
Plant-based foods are divided into: plant-based meat products, plant-based dairy products, plant-based egg products, plant-based frozen drinks and ingredients, and other plant-based foods.
Compared with traditional foods, especially meat, plant-based foods have the advantages of high protein, zero cholesterol, low fat, and high dietary fiber, allowing consumers to have both deliciousness and health.
02 Standards for plant-based food
At present, there are no corresponding national standards or industry standards for plant-based food. There are only the following group standards proposed by the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology and the China Health Association:
T/CIFST 001-2020 Plant-based Meat Products
T/CIFST 002-2021 General Principle for Plant-Based Foods
T/CHC 1004.1-2023 Plant-based Foods Part 1: Plant-based Milk Powder
T/CHC 1004.2-2023 Plant-based Foods Part 2: Protein Liquid Beverages
T/CHC 1004.3-2023 Plant-based Foods Part 3: Meat Products
03 Key regulation requirements for plant-based food
In terms of production license classification, at present, China's food safety regulations and national food safety standards have not yet defined the basic concepts and classifications of new plant-based alternative foods such as plant protein meat. Enterprises can apply for food production licenses by selecting food categories such as quick-frozen foods, soy products, and other foods from the food production license classification catalog based on the product's production process, main raw materials, etc.
In terms of labeling, according to T/CIFST 002-2021 General Principle for Plant-based Foods, words such as "plant", "plant-based", "plant protein", "plant source", or the names of specific plant-based raw materials or their sources should be used to participate in the naming of plant-based foods to reflect the true attributes of plant-based foods; or the name of the food should be marked with "plant-based", "plant source" or other additional words on the same page as the food name.
The product category name of plant-based food can be the same as the category name of the corresponding animal food, the name specified in the relevant standards or an equivalent name, but the words "plant", "plant-based", "plant protein", "plant source" and so on should be used as additional explanations. The names of specific plant-based raw materials or their sources may also be used.
Other foods produced, processed and prepared with plant-based foods as raw materials should clearly indicate the plant-based attributes of the corresponding raw materials to consumers, and it is advisable to provide this reminder on the same display page as the food name.
For example: plant beef, plant-based beef, plant-derived beef, plant protein beef, vegetarian beef, etc.
04 Future trends
At present, there are no national standards for plant-based foods, which has affected the high-quality development of the industry and the effective supervision of the market. In its reply to the Suggestions on Promoting the Development of Plant-Based Alternative Foods, the State Administration for Market Regulation clearly stated that it will actively cooperate with relevant departments to study and formulate national food safety standards for plant-based alternative foods, and timely improve the classification of food production licenses based on the standards, strengthen food safety supervision, and standardize industry development.
The Scientific Consensus on Plant-Based Foods (2022 Version) also points out that the development of plant-based foods will help optimize the dietary structure of residents and improve their nutritional and health levels, achieve efficient use of food resources, and ensure my country's food security.
As consumers' demand for healthy food grows, the plant-based food industry continues to invest and innovate in technology, and the basic standard system is gradually improved, I believe that plant-based foods will become more and more popular, and the prospects for plant-based foods in the Chinese market will become more and more optimistic.
Source: Antion
Note: This article is compiled by Antion. Please indicate the source for reprint.