Written by David Clark, PhD, member of the ADPI Center of Excellence.
On Mar. 18, 2021, along with tens of other standards released, the new national food safety standards for infant formula (GB 10765-2021), older infant formula (GB 10766-2021), and young children formula (GB 10767-2021) were released. These 3 standards replace GB 10765-2010 and GB 10767-2010 and will be effective starting from Feb. 22, 2023. It is voluntary to follow the new requirements before the implementation date, and products produced before the implementation date are still allowed to be sold within its shelf life.
The major change compared to the current standards is the introduction of a new standard detailing the technical requirements for follow on (stage 2) formula. Currently, the requirements for follow on formula for older infants were combined with those of growing up milk for young children. The newly introduced standard is assigned the code GB 10766-2021 and aligns more closely with the requirements for young infants. Multiple small adjustments to content ranges on micronutrients may mean re-formulation and re-registration of many products currently on the market. In addition choline becomes the essential ingredient in both stage 1 and 2 formula.
