The National Health and Family Planning Commission issued the Letter of the General Office of the National Health and Family Planning Commission on the Notification of Standards Applicable to Flaxseed, seemingly ordinary but big news for those engaged in the health products research. It started with the crackdown on counterfeits.

A high-profile “counterfeiting”

In November 2016, in a legal case in Beijing about “flaxseeds” added as ingredient in imported food, the court decided in favor of the whistleblower, who received the refund and a compensation worth 10 times of the payment for goods. In another case in January 2017, Zhangjiagang Fulinmen Big Family Foodstuff Co., Ltd. was reported to produce substandard foods with “flaxseed” as an illegal ingredient. The whistleblower believed that flaxseed, which is not specified in any regulation or in any list, belongs to traditional Chinese medicine listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2015 (Volume I) and requested an investigation of the manufacturer.

Flaxseed, a popular raw material for professional counterfeit hunters, has long been a subject of concern, with many debates over whether it can be used as a food raw material. What was the response of the regulators? “It cannot be used as an ordinary food ingredient.”

●  In 2016, the NHFPC stated in the Reply of the General Office of the National Health and Family Planning Commission on Adding Flaxseed to Ordinary Food that flaxseed is mainly used for oil manufacture in China, and the NHFPC did not receive the application of flaxseed as the new food ingredient or carry out relevant safety reviews, with the implication that flaxseed cannot be used as an ordinary food raw material for business sales.

● In May 2017, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning responded in the document On Issues Concerning the Use of Flaxseeds that flaxseed is not included in the “list of new food ingredient and ordinary foods" in China, and consulting the NHFPC for further information is recommended and its reply shall prevail.

The regulators handled matters impartially: flaxseed was not on the list of medicinal and edible foods or new resource foods according to the regulations of that time. Without the safety assessment, flaxseed could not be recognized as ordinary food, hence the use of it in ordinary foods was considered as counterfeiting.

Things are finally worked out

On December 26, 2017, the NHFPC issued the Letter of the General Office of the National Health and Family Planning Commission on the Notification of Standards Applicable to Flaxseed to specify that directly edible flaxseeds apply to the National Food Safety Standards on Nut and Seed Foods (GB 19300-2014) and should be labeled with "Edible When Cooked" or other similar consumption tips. This means that “counterfeit” food once added with flaxseed have become legal! As netizens commented humorously: “This is another kind of food which is no longer counterfeit.” Some online commenters said that the NHFPC finally did something concrete and things have been worked out.

The Letter also explains the safety evaluation and management advice on directly edible flaxseeds and flaxseeds, with the focus on the safety evaluation of cyanogentic glycosides in directly edible flaxseeds. According to health guidance values of cyanide set by FAO / WHO JECFA and Chinese dietary figures by CHNS, cyanide from cooked flaxseeds has a very low health risk to the general population in China. Heating, microwave processing, cooking and other processing methods can reduce the amount of cyanogentic glycosides in flaxseed and related products, and increase the safety of flaxseed. It is safe to consume flaxseed (powder) directly based on currently available data. Therefore, it is suggested that directly edible flaxseed be used in line with the National Food Safety Standards on Nut and Seed Foods (GB 19300-2014) and the manufacturers and traders label the directly edible flaxseeds with "consumed after cooking" or other similar consumption tips.

Regarding the implementation of GB 19300-2014, it is just more advice from the NHFPC that there is another standard related to flaxseed currently, which is GB T8235-2008 (flaxseed oil). Herbridge learned that the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Commission of Health and Family Planning has set up a project to establish the Local Food Safety Standards on Cooked Flaxseed (Powder) with a subsidiary of Yili Group as the drafter. Due to numerous complaints in Shanghai and Beijing about one of its energy bar products with added flaxseed, Yili Group needs to take up the weapon of “standard” to “defend its sovereignty.” Once the standard is released, whether implemented or not, it will be another favorable evidence for flaxseed being an ordinary food.

Secret weapon of superfoods

Flaxseed is a reddish-brown seed and one of the earliest fiber crops in the world. Don’t be fooled by the petite size. There are many “secret weapons” hidden inside.

Unique fibers

Flaxseed contains a high amount of fiber, which is water-soluble and able to be gelated. This fiber promotes digestive health and helps prevent uncomfortable symptoms such as abdominal distension and constipation, as well as maintaining healthy cholesterol levels in the human body. Some studies have confirmed that fiber in flaxseed can reduce the ratio of bad-to-good cholesterol. Just two tablespoons of milled flaxseeds deliver 15% of your daily need of dietary fiber.