Definitions of foods, food additives, and nutritional enhancers

The definition of food in the "Basic Terms of the Food Industry": Substances that can be eaten or consumed by human beings, including processed foods, semi-finished products and unprocessed foods, excluding tobacco or substances used only for medicines. The legal definition of “food” in the “Food Sanitation Law”: various finished products and raw materials for human consumption or drinking, as well as articles that are traditionally both food and medicine, but do not include articles for treatment purposes. From the perspective of food hygiene legislation and management, the broad concept of food also involves: the raw materials of foods produced, the cultivation of food raw materials, the substances and environment that are in contact with the culture process, the added substances of foods, and all packaging materials that directly or indirectly come into contact with foods. Facilities and environment that affect the original quality of food. In the inspection and quarantine management of imported and exported foods, "other food-related items" are usually included in the scope of food management. In accordance with Article 43 of the “Food Sanitation Law of the People's Republic of China” and Article 28 of the “Measures for the Hygienic Management of Food Additives” and Article 2 of the “Measures for the Hygienic Management of Food Nutrition Enhancers”, China defines food additives and food fortifiers as: Food additives are chemically synthesized or natural substances that are added to foods to improve food quality and color, aroma, taste, and the need for preservation and processing. Food fortifiers are natural or artificially synthesized substances that are added to foods to enhance nutrient content and are food additives that fall within the scope of natural nutrients. Food nutrition enhancer refers to a natural or synthetic food additive that belongs to the range of natural nutrients added to food for enhancing nutritive ingredients.