China's food additive industry sees promising future as 4.8 million tons of food additive are in demand by 2010, said the latest report on China's biological industry development.

That is mainly fueled by the booming food and catering industries, said the report co-compiled by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Chinese Society of Biotechnology.

China has over 1,500 food additive producers turning out 1,600 types of products. The annual output reaches 3.25 million tons worth around 3.5 billion yuan.

The global market size for food additive has reached 20 billion U.S.dollars with annual growth rate between 2.5 to 4 percent.

Food additives including sweetening agent, sorbic acid, and emulsifier are widely used in food making and processing.

Source: Xinhua