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Food Category Details

Food Category Hierarchy

Complementary foods for infants and young children (13.2)

Description:
Foods that are intended for infants 6 months of age and older, and for progressive adaptation of infants and children to ordinary food. Products may be ready-to-eat or in powder form to be reconstituted with water, milk, or other suitable liquid.1 These foods exclude infant formulae (13.1.1), follow-up formulae (13.1.2), and formulae for special medical purposes (13.1.3).2 Examples include: cereal-, fruit-, vegetable-, and meat-based “baby foods” for infants, “toddler foods,” and “junior foods”; lactea flour, biscuits and rusks for children.

This page provides information on the food additive provisions that are acceptable for use in foods conforming to the food category.

This food category is listed in the Annex to Table 3. Unless specifically indicated below, food additive provisions implied by Table 3 do not automatically apply to this category.

GSFA Provisions for Food Category 13.2
INS No. Food Additive or Group Max Level Notes Defined In
ASCORBYL ESTERS 200 mg/kg 13.2
260 Acetic acid, glacial 5,000 mg/kg 13.2
472a Acetic and fatty acid esters of glycerol 5,000 mg/kg 13.2
1422 Acetylated distarch adipate 50,000 mg/kg 13.2
1414 Acetylated distarch phosphate 50,000 mg/kg 13.2
1451 Acetylated oxidized starch 50,000 mg/kg 13.2
503(i) Ammonium carbonate GMP 13.2
503(ii) Ammonium hydrogen carbonate GMP 13.2
300 Ascorbic acid, L- 500 mg/kg 13.2
263 Calcium acetate GMP 13.2
302 Calcium ascorbate 200 mg/kg 13.2
170(i) Calcium carbonate GMP 13.2
526 Calcium hydroxide GMP 13.2
327 Calcium lactate GMP 13.2
290 Carbon dioxide GMP 13.2
410 Carob bean gum 2,000 mg/kg 13.2
330 Citric acid 5,000 mg/kg 13.2
472c Citric and fatty acid esters of glycerol 5,000 mg/kg 13.2
1412 Distarch phosphate 50,000 mg/kg 13.2
575 Glucono delta-lactone GMP 13.2
412 Guar gum 2,000 mg/kg 13.2
414 Gum arabic (Acacia gum) 10,000 mg/kg 13.2
507 Hydrochloric acid GMP 13.2
1440 Hydroxypropyl starch 60,000 mg/kg 13.2
270 Lactic acid, L-, D- and DL- 2,000 mg/kg 13.2
472b Lactic and fatty acid esters of glycerol 5,000 mg/kg 13.2
322(i) Lecithin 5,000 mg/kg 13.2
296 Malic acid, DL- GMP 13.2
421 Mannitol 10 mg/kg 13.2
471 Mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids 5,000 mg/kg 13.2
1410 Monostarch phosphate 50,000 mg/kg 13.2
941 Nitrogen GMP 13.2
1404 Oxidized starch 50,000 mg/kg 13.2
PHOSPHATES 4,400 mg/kg 13.2
440 Pectins 10,000 mg/kg 13.2
1413 Phosphated distarch phosphate 50,000 mg/kg 13.2
261(i) Potassium acetate GMP 13.2
332(i) Potassium dihydrogen citrate GMP 13.2
501(ii) Potassium hydrogen carbonate GMP 13.2
525 Potassium hydroxide GMP 13.2
326 Potassium lactate GMP 13.2
551 Silicon dioxide, amorphous 2,000 mg/kg 13.2
262(i) Sodium acetate GMP 13.2
301 Sodium ascorbate 500 mg/kg 13.2
500(i) Sodium carbonate GMP 13.2
331(i) Sodium dihydrogen citrate 5,000 mg/kg 13.2
500(ii) Sodium hydrogen carbonate GMP 13.2
524 Sodium hydroxide GMP 13.2
325 Sodium lactate GMP 13.2
1420 Starch acetate 50,000 mg/kg 13.2
1450 Starch sodium octenyl succinate 50,000 mg/kg 13.2
TARTRATES 5,000 mg/kg 13.2
TOCOPHEROLS 300 mg/kg 13.2
333(iii) Tricalcium citrate GMP 13.2
332(ii) Tripotassium citrate GMP 13.2
331(iii) Trisodium citrate 5,000 mg/kg 13.2
415 Xanthan gum 10,000 mg/kg 13.2

Items in uppercase (e.g. PHOSPHATES) refer to food additive groups.


  1. Standard for Processed Cereal-Based Foods for Infants and Children (CODEX STAN 74-1981).
  2. Standard for Canned Baby Foods (CODEX STAN 073-1981).

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