After almost 10 years of work, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) published a new version of Food Safety National standards. These new standards include the GB 4806.15-2024 for adhesive used in food-contact materials and articles.

This final version of standards doesn’t include significant changes in major provisions. The intended use classifies the different adhesives, which are: direct food-contact adhesive and indirect food-contact adhesive. The positive list of base materials that may be used in each category can be found in annexes A and B.

Annex A contains 51 polymers that may be used in direct food-contact adhesives; Annex B contains 341 substances (polymers and non-polymeric substances) for use in indirect food-contact adhesives. Polymers formed by the reaction of non-polymeric substances and polymers listed in annex B are permitted for use as the base materials for indirect food-contact adhesives.

One of the main obligations is that additives must comply with GB 9685.

 The Adhesives Standard sets out general physicochemical requirements for the adhesive layer. Alongside criteria like overall migration limit (OML), potassium permanganate consumption, and heavy metals (as Pb), it includes a specification of ≤ 0.01 mg/kg for primary aromatic amines (PAAs). This requirement applies specifically to adhesives containing aromatic polyurethanes, which have the potential to produce PAAs. Testing for compliance should occur on finished products of food-contact materials and articles after adhesive curing.

The Adhesives Standard will become effective on February 8, 2025.

Post 28/03/2024