Core Viewpoint - The Chinese government has initiated a comprehensive governance action to address the abuse of food additives, emphasizing the importance of food safety and consumer health [1][5]. Group 1: Definition and Importance of Food Additives - Food additives are substances added to food to enhance its quality, flavor, and preservation, categorized into 23 types including sweeteners and preservatives [3]. - Proper use of food additives is crucial for modern food production, providing benefits such as preservation, flavor enhancement, and resource savings [3]. Group 2: Governance Action Overview - The governance action targets the abuse of food additives, defined as exceeding the permitted scope and limits, which poses health risks [5]. - The action plan involves multiple departments, including agriculture, industry, customs, health, and market regulation, to ensure comprehensive oversight from production to consumption [7][30]. Group 3: Regulatory Focus Areas - Key areas of focus include: - Strict enforcement against illegal agricultural inputs in food production [7]. - Enhanced management of chemical products and industrial raw materials [7]. - Increased scrutiny of imported food additives for compliance with regulations [7]. - Development of a dynamic management system for food additive varieties [7]. - Rigorous monitoring of food additive production, sales, and usage [7]. Group 4: Specific Regulatory Measures - Local market regulatory authorities are conducting inspections of food additive production facilities, focusing on compliance with supplier management and production standards [9][11]. - The regulatory framework includes the prohibition of certain additives in specific food products, such as preservatives in canned foods and certain baked goods [14][21]. Group 5: Restaurant and Food Service Regulations - The governance action also emphasizes the regulation of food additives in the restaurant sector, requiring compliance with national safety standards and transparency in ingredient usage [22][25]. - Specific banned substances in the restaurant industry include industrial oxalic acid, nitrites, and other illegal additives [25][27]. Group 6: Import Food Safety Measures - Customs authorities are implementing strict checks on imported food products to ensure adherence to the new national standards for food additives [30][31]. - Measures include the rejection or destruction of products that violate additive regulations and thorough review of foreign production facility registrations [31].