2025 3rd to28th, the 55th session of the International Conference on Food Additives (CCFA) was held in Seoul, South Korea. The conference was jointly organized by the National Institute for Environmental Research and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in South Korea. This was the 17th meeting hosted by China since it took over theCCFApresidency, with theCCFAPresident, Deputy Director of the National Institute for Environmental Research, Dr. Fan Yongxiang, and ProfessorHaejung Yoonfrom Central University in South Korea co-chairing the meeting. Representatives from46 member countries,1 member organization (European Union), and24 international organizations attended the meeting, which was live-streamed globally.

　　 Minister of Food and Drug Administration of KoreaYu-Kyoung OH、Deputy Director of the State Administration of Health and Welfare, Food Safety Standards and Monitoring and Evaluation, Gong Guoqiang, spoke on behalf of China and Korea at the opening ceremony. Tian Jing, a member of the International Food Standards Codex Committee ( Codex ) and a researcher at the National Center for Risk Assessment of Food Safety, representing the team of the Chairman of the International Food Standards Codex Committee, congratulatedCCFAon its convening.

　　The meeting discussed and adopted500food additives codex general standards (GSFA), completed the work of the additives specifications in the products standards formulated by the Asian Regional Committee, the Near East Regional Committee, the Spices and Kitchen Herbs and other committees, and proposed a list of food additives to be submitted to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).16delegates from the National Health Commission, the National Grain and Material Reserve Bureau, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department of Hong Kong, the Municipal Affairs Bureau of Macao, and the China Food Additives and Ingredients Association attended the meeting.

　　TheCCFAFuture Work Plan was proposed by theCCFAon behalf of China and was widely supported by the conference. The document analyzed the standards of the International Food Additives Code and the problems in the current work ofCCFA, and proposed to optimize the structure ofGSFA, secondary food additives, processing aids and other priority work areas. The document suggested that

　　The National Center for Risk Assessment of Food Safety and the Singapore Food Authority jointly drafted the proposal for the "Guidelines for the Risk Assessment of Culture Media Components for Cell-Cultured Food", promoting the International Food Standards Code to pay attention to the risk assessment and risk management of new food. Experts from the Food Assessment Center, based on the regulations on the use of food additives in our country, combined with the actual needs of the industry, have proposed adjustments to the use requirements of food additives in multiple food categories and have been passed by the general assembly. The food industry enzyme preparations of glutamine transaminase for use in food processing and the extract of Luo Han Guo that the Center representative submitted on behalf of China have been included in the JECFA priority assessment list, promoting the continuous improvement of the International Food Standards Code. The Food Assessment Center has also assisted the domestic industry in promoting the proposal for the yeast code of practice drafted by China.

　　This meeting is the first time that China has jointly hosted with other countriesCCFA meeting, marking a new milestone in China's regional cooperation in the field of food safety. The National Center for Risk Assessment of Food Safety through joint hosting of the meeting with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of South Korea has further deepened the cooperation between China and South Korea in the field of food safety. The meeting has achieved fruitful results and has been highly praised by the representatives of various countries, further enhancing China's ability to participate in global food safety governance.