. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/CHN/34
13 November 2003
(03-6096)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   Standardization Administration of the People's Republic of China
(SAC)
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:           
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   All pre-packaged (filled)
food for special dietary use
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   General Standard of
Labelling for Pre-packaged Food for Special Dietary Use ( 8 pages, in Chinese)
6. Description of content:   This regulation provides basic requirements as well as contents of
mandatory labelling, exemption from mandato ry labelling, voluntary labelling, permitted
labelling and recommended labelling.
Basic requirements include:
Same as the basic requirements in General Standard of Labelling for Pre-packaged Food,
and the following description shall not be used:
1. Any claim as to the prevention or treatment of a disease.
2. Any claim as to “the recovery of one's youthful vigour”, “prolongation of life”,
“change hoary hairs to black”, “new teeth re-growth in the gums of fallen teeth”,
“anticancer or curing cancer”, and so on.
3. Any declaration of drug name before or after the name of a food, or the pictorial or
name of a drug implying the effects of treatment or functional role.
Mandatory requirements on labelling include:
1. The following contents on the label shall be clearly indicated:  name, ingredients,
net content of food;  name and address of the manufacturer; manufacturing date;  bestbefore; the product standard code and  irradiated food or ingredients.G/TBT/N/CHN/34
Page 2
2. This standard is a revision of Labelling Standard of Food for Special Nutrient
(1992) in line with CAC CODEX STAN 146-1985, CAC/GL 1-1979 (1991), CAC/GL
2-1985 (1993), CAC/GL 23-1997 (2001), Food Hygi ene Law of the People's Republic of
China, Product Quality Law of the People's Republic of China.
3. For pre-packaged food for special dietary use sold in China (not including
Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) that not comply with the General Standard of Labelling of
Pre-packaged Food, penalty shall be imposed according to the level of seriousness.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
To protect consumers, prevent cheating, and maintain fair trade.
8. Relevant documents:
CAC CODEX STAN 146-1985
CAC/GL 1-1979 (1991)
CAC/GL 2-1985 (1993)
CAC/GL 23-1997 (2001)Food Hygiene Law of the People's Republic of China
Product Quality Law of the People's Republic of China
Product Label and Labelling Regulation [Issued by The State Bureau of Technical
Supervision (1997) No. 172]
Metrological Inspection on Quantitative Packaged Commodity [No. 43 Ordinance of the
State Bureau of Technical Supervision  ]
Chinese Dietary Reference Intakes (China Nutrition Academy, April 2001, 1st publication)
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: }To be determined
10. Final date for comments:   60 days after the date of notification
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:           