GAIN-China Program Report （2008-002）
Compiled and published by PNDC of NDRC

Issuance of “Nutritional Fortified Wheat Flour” state standard is a strong governmental signal towards the mill industry

GAIN sponsored Chinese program of fortified flour policy system is being implemented as planned. The specific task of assisting the concerned Chinese governmental agencies in formulation and official issuance of “Nutritional Fortified Wheat Flour” state standard as defined in the program has been accomplished. This regulation endorsed by the highest standard administration agency, Standardization Administration of China, has clarified its stand in promotion of fortified flour for nationwide governmental agencies, all flour mills and consumers. It can be viewed as an official response to a few experts who were against flour fortification.

1. Addressed consumer’s concern over safety and necessity of fortified flour
There has been approximately 70 years experience in nutritional fortification using flour as a vehicle in international community, while the corresponding developmental history in China is less than one tenth of the world. In general, most Chinese have limited knowledge in food nutritional fortification, modern nutriology, development and health. They do not understand the necessity and safety of fortified flour and have doubts or even oppose its usage. Some influential experts strongly objected promotion of fortified flour in China and wrote to state leaders, governmental agency and news media during formulation of relevant standards. The opposing views further augmented consumer’s concern on fortified flour and shook corporate confidence in marketing and sales, resulting in more difficulties in promotion of fortified flour in China. The program team communicated with governmental agencies proactively during this process and presented actual global developmental status of food fortification to the state leaders and concerned departments by organizing meetings and discussions, conducting domestic and international research, compiling reports and articles, and media promotion. The above efforts have successfully rallied support of the state highest standard administration body. The issuance and implementation of “Nutritional Fortified Wheat Flour” state standard in January 1 of 2008 declared necessity and safety of fortified flour and signaled ending of debate on promotion of fortified flour in China.
2. Issuance of state standards provided flour mills with regulatory support
Although the Chinese government had been supported development of fortified flour in recent years, the lack of corresponding state standard as regulatory according presented certain difficulty. The Chinese regulation on food additives issued in the past only specified nutrient varieties, quantity supplemented and carriers without defining raw material selection, fortification processing techniques, transportation requirements, storage and shelf-lives, and therefore, could not replace the state standard. Flour mills could only present corporate standard in stead of state standard to inspectors of law enforcement agencies and suffered loss due to disagreement with these agencies. Different law enforcement agencies had different views frequently, making it difficult for flour mills to follow in accordance. Issuance of “Nutritional Fortified Wheat Flour” has made standardized administration possible. Administrations of industry and commerce and technical supervision will be able to take more appropriate administrative actions during law enforcement by using the state standard of nutritional fortified flour, leading to better use of objective standard improved administrative efficiency. Accordingly, Beijing Guchuan, Xianjiang Tianshan, Shandong Xinzhong and other companies who have been actively producing fortified flour applaud for issuance of the state regulation and believe that they could accelerate development in this field without concerns.
The unsatisfactory situation that fortified flour had been sold as a general food for many years is changing. The seven years hard work of PNDC has made it possible to move the development of Chinese fortified flour to a new level after issuance of “Nutritional Fortified Wheat Flour” state standard. The significance of the new state standard can be summarized as follows:
1. There are several tens of thousands flour mills in China dwelling 1.3 billions residents. The favorable development of flour industry in the era of planned economy resulted from the long-lasting food shortage at that time and the planned production and allocation of wheat flour. It was not an important issue to improve product quality, varieties and nutrition back then. Agricultural production and food processing have been shifted from a few to a great many and from quantity to quality. The ownership of flour mills have been transformed from absolute state-owned to diversified economic forms suitable for market economy. It is almost impossible to stimulate enthusiastic of the flour mills in fortified flour merely with scientific reasoning and public welfare slogans due to the increasing independence of the mill industry. A mandatory enforcement through legislation could be an alternative approach, but it will take unpredictable time. Although the state standard is not a mandatory legal provision at the time, the technical standard does have quasi-legal power. Fortified flour has become a fashion as soon as the standard is issued. Food administration department, industrial associations and flour mills accept fortified flour immediately. It appears that all the past ambiguous understanding towards fortified flour has disappeared right away. It is followed by normal production, organization and management. For this reason, we believe that this is a presentation of mobilizing effect of “Nutritional Fortified Wheat Flour” on fortified flour.
2. The nutritional fortified flour mills were required to determine corporate standards and file with regulatory agency before issuance of the “Nutritional fortified wheat flour” state standard. The social inspection agencies used different standards in regulation of fortified flour. Most of the inspectors know little about fortified flour. Many improper administrative behaviors were resulted. For instance, the ash content in fortified flour often fails the quality examination by local regulatory agencies (The grade of wheat flour is determined based on ash content) although the ash actually resulted from the mineral nutrients supplemented and should be a reasonable content. If the flour mills are penalized for producing fortified flour, promotion of this nutritional product will inevitably discouraged.
3. An overall promotion of flour fortification will accelerate public nutritional improvement in China and thus requires state policy and legislative support. Issuance of the “Nutritional Fortified Wheat Flour” state standard has replenished relevant governmental agencies with technical support in their formulation of supporting policies, representing an essential step for mandatory implementation of fortified flour. It reminds us the example of supplementing table salt with iodine many years ago that underwent a period of recommendation and market promotion to increase public awareness and acceptance before this practice became a state mandatory implementation standard. In this perspective, “Nutritional Fortified Wheat Flour” state standard will function as an engine to drive comprehensive flour nutritional fortification.
4. It is clearly indicated in the national eleventh five-year planning that development of nutritional fortified flour should be emphasized and four mills will be encouraged to produce fortified flour. In the presence of a state standard, government will be able to give flour mills financial support for more effective development of fortified flour. The financial incentive is open to all flour mills and will drive development of flour mills effectively and significantly. “Nutritional Fortified Wheat Flour” state standard is a de facto engine to drive development of flour industry.