The consolidation of food contaminants standards in China

China has recently revised the general standard for contaminants in foods. According to the Food Safety Law, all the national standards related to food contaminants were reviewed and eventually consolidated into the General Standard for Contaminants in Foods (GB 2762-2012) as part of the mandatory national food safety standards system. Maximum levels (MLs) for contaminants were established in the new standard system only where they are carried out risk management with a sound scientific judgment for effective risk management, and only for those foods that provide a significant contribution to the total dietary exposure. In this paper, the process and rationales for the consolidation practice is described as well as the outcomes of the consolidation are reported.