NEWS CENTER

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2026

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China Updates Silica (E551) Usage Limits in Food: A Step Forward for Industry Compliance

As regulators clarify rules for more additives, the food sector is moving toward greater standardization and transparency — good news for both businesses and consumers.

China’s food safety regulators have recently rolled out updated guidelines on silicon dioxide (INS No. 551, CNS No. 02.004) — a widely used anti-caking agent — bringing clearer compliance boundaries for food manufacturers and raising the bar for industry-wide safety standards.

The revised standards cover more than 10 key food categories, with customized maximum usage limits based on each product’s unique characteristics:

  • 20.0 g/kg: Applied to table salt, salt substitutes, spices, and solid compound seasonings, where anti-caking performance is critical.
  • 15.0 g/kg: Used for powdered dairy (including sweetened milk powder), non-dairy creamers, cocoa products, dehydrated egg products, powdered sugar, and powdered beverages.
  • 1.2 g/kg: Set for raw grains, where minimal additive use is prioritized.
  • 0.5 g/kg: Capped for frozen desserts (excluding edible ice), balancing texture and safety.
  • 0.025 g/kg per kg of soybeans: Strictly limited for soybean product processing, where silica acts as a defoaming agent.

Industry specialists point out that silica is essential for preventing clumping, improving powder flow, and extending shelf life in dry foods. The new limits don’t just set rules — they also help manufacturers balance product quality with safety, reducing the risk of non-compliance penalties.

“A quality manager from a top dairy brand shared, ‘These guidelines are both a check and a roadmap for us. We’re already auditing our production lines to adjust silica levels, and we’ll beef up raw material testing and record-keeping to make sure every step follows the rules.’”

This update to silica usage standards is part of China’s broader push to refine food additive management. As regulators clarify rules for more additives, the food sector is moving toward greater standardization and transparency — good news for both businesses and consumers.

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