Government updates preservatives and antioxidants standards

The amended regulation brought the total permitted preservatives and antioxidants to 58.

The government updated the preservatives and antioxidants safety standards, amending the Preservatives in Food Regulation 2024.

Under the amended  regulation, the definitions of "preservative" and "antioxidant" were aligned with those adopted by Codex. The revised list of permitted preservatives and antioxidants now includes 58 substances, whilst the number of "additive-food" combinations with specified maximum allowed levels has expanded from approximately 900 to 2,000.

A government spokesperson said that after a four-month public consultation, respondents and stakeholders supported the proposed amendments.

"We also proposed a transitional period of 24 months, during which it would be legal for any single food item to comply with the requirements of either the existing or the amended Cap. 132BD," the spokesperson added.

The amendment will be tabled at the Legislative Council on 16 October for negative vetting.