JECFA listed glycosylated steviol glycosides separately as INS 960d in 2021, and the European Union established E 960d on 1 March 2023 through (EU) 2023/447, with the same uses and levels as E 960a-c. China files GSG under food flavourings instead. Two regulatory identities, one product.
The Chinese position
China classifies GSG as a food flavouring. The basis is Announcement No. 8 of 2016 from the National Health and Family Planning Commission, which approved it as a new food flavouring - not as a sweetener. It must therefore be used after being compounded into a food flavouring, in all food categories except those listed in Table B.1 of GB 2760, at levels according to production needs.
Two neighbouring entries are sweeteners and are not the same product: “steviol glycosides (enzymatic conversion)”, first approved by Announcement No. 2 of 2024 and extended by Announcement No. 1 of 2025, and “steviol glycosides (fermentation)”, first approved by Announcement No. 7 of 2025. So in Chinese-language documents the status of GSG is flavouring; the sweetener status only holds for the EU and Codex E 960d / INS 960d identity.
| Item | China | EU / Codex |
|---|
| Status | Food flavouring | Sweetener |
| Basis | Announcement No. 8 of 2016 (NHFPC) | JECFA 2021 separate listing as INS 960d; (EU) 2023/447 establishing E 960d |
| In force | - | 1 March 2023 |
| Use | Must be compounded into a food flavouring; it may not be added directly as a sweetener | Same uses and levels as E 960a-c |
| Scope | All food categories except those in GB 2760 Table B.1; level according to production need | Beverages, yoghurt, RTD tea, bakery and other foods |
Table 1 - One product, two regulatory identities. Chinese documents say flavouring; English documents say sweetener. Both descriptions refer to the same white powder.
Figure 1 - What “flavouring” usually means: spices and raw materials for flavour compounds. GSG is filed in this category in China, even though it is a white sweet-tasting powder.
Figure 2 - What the same product looks like: a white powder that provides sweetness. The wording in the two markets differs, the material does not.
Shipping GSG into China or the EU? We can supply the specification and document set for each market. Talk to our team
If your specification is written in Chinese, expect the flavouring wording; if it is written for the EU or Codex, expect E 960d / INS 960d. Both refer to the same material, and the usage rules are not interchangeable.
Primary sources: Announcement No. 8 of 2016 (China); JECFA specifications (INS 960d); (EU) 2023/447
Related products: GSG Series