To prevent illegal additives from entering the market, the most important thing is to clarify the responsibilities of various departments. The supervision and law enforcement departments often check the regular management, do a good job in the usual management, and make up for it before the death of the sheep. In recent days, many media outlets have exploded, and the “exclusive secret†of the hot pot turned out to be It is a "chemical hot pot." On December 15, the website of the Ministry of Health Supervision Bureau asked whether public opinions on the use of flour brighteners, benzoyl peroxide and ****, are open to public opinions. The safety of flour whitening agents that have been consumed for many years is being reconsidered.
"Sudan red cancer turmoil", "melamine-induced infant kidney stone incident", "Cleanene poisoning incident" ... In the illegal use of additives, the Chinese people have repeatedly been "pay a single."
For a time, worries about food additives "have been under the brow, but they are up."
Legal and illegal food additives are some chemical names that are difficult to remember. It should be difficult to memorize them, but people at street and street can give several related examples. For example, white lumps are added to yuba, vermicelli, and other foods for whitening and preservation, but they can cause lung, liver, and kidney damage in poisoned people. The cancerous substance Sudan Red is used for the coloration of chili powder...
The public’s knowledge of this stems from the shock of the tragedy that the illegal additives had caused in China. So, can the additive be used? What is legal and what is illegal?
Professor Wang Zongyu from the Law School of the People's University of China who studies the food safety law said that the current consumer reaction to food additives “talks about discoloration†is because illegal additives are included in the scope of food additives. Illegal additives are additives that are outside the country's list of permitted uses. The abuse of additives refers to the use of food additives that are not permitted by the State in accordance with the regulations. Hang white, Sudan red, clenbuterol, melamine ... ... These are illegal additives, is the production of businesses to add food in order to reduce costs and increase revenue, not food additives.
According to Wang Zongyu, at present, the country mainly controls the access of food additives by controlling the production and use of food additive licenses and publishing the catalog of food additives that can be used. Under normal circumstances, the legalization of an additive must go through many procedures such as application, evaluation, and approval, and it requires a use permit. Wang Zongyu revealed that most of the illegal additives currently on the market are unpatched.
The "preservation faction" of food additives insists that food additives are the soul of the modern food industry. The rational use of food additives in the food processing and manufacturing process can not only make the processed foods look good in color, smell, taste, shape and structure, but also To maintain and increase the nutritional content of foods and prevent food spoilage, as long as they are used according to regulations and standards, additives will not cause damage to human health. However, who can actually guarantee that it will not be excessive?
According to the "Food Safety Law", the use of food additives has two conditions, "one is really necessary, and the other is through a risk assessment to prove safe and reliable." In addition, the standards that have been established should also be adjusted in time according to the results of use. The reason for this is that almost all food additives are harmful to health if they are consumed for a long period of time.
It may be unfair to attribute all food safety problems to food additives, but it cannot be denied that the vast majority of food safety issues are related to food additives. There are more than 2,500 food additives currently listed in the national standard. So are they all "necessary"? It is currently proven to be safe and reliable. Can it guarantee that no security problems will be discovered in the future?
The lack of standard test methods According to the reporter, as early as 1995, Sudan Red was identified as a carcinogen. In 1996, China banned the use of food additives in health standards. However, until the "Sudan Red Incident" broke out in 2005, the Sudanese Red Army became the subject of thorough investigation by various geological supervision departments across the country. In other words, in the nearly 10 years before the incident broke out, China has not introduced the testing methods and standards related to Sudan. This is tantamount to the fact that Sudan Red, though banned, has never been detected.
The same lesson continues to be repeated in the "melamine incident". After the damage caused by melamine, the relevant departments started to investigate and deal with it. The lagging investigation can only be under the pressure of the masses, and it will be "a matter of turbulence". "Shoot death" thing, a temporary solution.
Recently, the media also broke out. Hotpot additives are popular, not only in Nanjing, Beijing, but also in other places. Similarly, hot pot additives should not be "unknown additives." Regarding whether or not they can be used, there should be a unified and feasible standard, and the necessary industry norms must not be lacking. However, the relevant person of the China Food Additives and Ingredients Association said: "China's general standards for compound food additives are still in the process of being formulated." Obviously, relevant departments' prior specifications for hot pot additives are in a disorderly state, letting manufacturers and hot pot restaurants. Drilled into the loopholes in the policy.
Another problem elicited by hot pot additives is that there are no clear regulations on whether food additives can be used in catering services and how to effectively control usage and scope. The Hygienic Standard for the Use of Food Additives uses grams as a unit of measurement for the use of food additives, and uses milligrams as a unit of measurement for residual amounts, while the vast majority of food and beverage industries in China do not have the ability to accurately measure. The Hygienic Standards for the Use of Food Additives stipulate the use of standards and residue limits for the protection of public health.
According to the “Regulations on the Administration of Food Labeling†revised by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in 2009, where sweeteners, preservatives, and colorants are used directly in foods, specific names should be marked under the food additives list of the ingredients list; if other food additives are used, Mark a specific name, kind, or code. Due to the fact that the catering industry does not have the characteristics of stereotyped packaging, it is difficult to mark the relevant content of food additives for each dish.
A survey by the reporter found that hot pot additive products on the market are mostly printed with the QS logo, and the relevant documents are complete. However, this can only prove that these products are "theoretically qualified." The production process and afterward supervision of these hot pot additives are also in a state of deficiency, and similar hidden dangers can be seen everywhere.
And look at the bag packaging products we usually eat, most of them will only indicate the addition of food additives, and rarely express the specific content of the addition, even if it is clear that some of the chemical name of the mouthwash, ordinary people simply can not determine the safety or not It can be seen that for the sake of identifying the safety of foods, consumers are still “powerlessâ€.
To avoid and reduce the occurrence of similar incidents, “law enforcement agencies must scan the same way as anti-virus software.†Wang Zongyu believes that the main work is the previous prevention, peacetime management, and remedy before death.
A person who engaged in nutrition and food safety research on condition of anonymity told reporters his views. He said that China’s food safety is not controlled by anyone, but that there are too many people in charge. Many departments such as agriculture, quality supervision, health, industry and commerce, drug administration, **, entry-exit inspection and quarantine, etc. have the responsibility and authority to manage food safety issues. The laws and regulations related to food safety are scattered among dozens of laws and regulations such as the “Food Hygiene Law†and “Product Quality Law.†There is not a single unified regulation that covers every aspect of food from farmland to table, and problems are inevitable. Push it.
How many "Flour Brighteners"
This reporter learned that regarding the safety of flour whitening agents, as early as 2001, the China Grain Industry Association and the China Cereals and Oils Institute had once submitted to the National Standardization Administration the 65 major flour processing enterprises in the United Nations to submit “On modification of the use of food additives. The standard prohibits the use of flour whiteners.
In the debate over whether flour whiteners should be banned, Wang Ruiyuan, the director of the former Grain and Oil Industry Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, said that "If you can't see a banned and unnoticed life in your lifetime," Chen Junshi, director of the China Food Engineering Standardization Technical Committee and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, insists "Whiteners are harmless," and there are experimental support from Chinese and foreign scientists. The opinions of the "main ban" and "main deposit" are quite different and difficult to unite.
It was not until December 15 this year that the website of the Ministry of Health Supervision Office publicly asked for opinions on whether to prohibit the use of flour brighteners, benzoyl peroxide and ****. Even if they pass, they must wait until December next year to ban the increase of flour. White agent.
A flour brightener, it will take 10 years to wait, how many similar flour whitening food additives are in use in the market?
Like benzoyl peroxide, the role of many food additives is only to improve the color, aroma, and taste of the food, and there is no other use for it. For example, sweeteners, thickeners, colorants, color protectors, spices, etc., can use fresh meat tenderizer "playing tender", boneless bone soup can be "a drop of incense" stir.
Wang Zongyu told reporters that such situations are very common. For example, in the toilet paper, silver powder is added for whitening, hair is made into soy sauce, and talcum powder is added to wheat (2561, 19.00, 0.75%). Allowing the addition of too much, unnecessary additives not only harms people's health, but also provides an opportunity for lawless elements.
For the safety of food additives, we cannot do human trials unless the patient's food source is very simple. For injuries caused by additives, it is difficult for consumers to obtain information to prove the damage. For the regulatory authorities, the number of additives has reached more than 2,300, and the level of each legal additive has been comprehensively monitored. In fact, there are cost problems. However, for some companies, the addition of illegal additives is a direct interest chain. Under huge profits, the conscious determination of enterprises alone is far from enough, especially small workshops in the market.
Wang Zongyu said that any industry is a game of interests of all parties, "butt decide the brain." The prohibition on the use of food additives is of course for the common people. However, the government's introduction of policies must also consider the survival of enterprises and require a transitional period. However, any interest should not be overridden by human safety. Food additives that only address color, appearance, and taste should not be tolerated when they are banned. At the same time, the list of currently approved food additives should be gradually withdrawn.
"Sudan red cancer turmoil", "melamine-induced infant kidney stone incident", "Cleanene poisoning incident" ... In the illegal use of additives, the Chinese people have repeatedly been "pay a single."
For a time, worries about food additives "have been under the brow, but they are up."
Legal and illegal food additives are some chemical names that are difficult to remember. It should be difficult to memorize them, but people at street and street can give several related examples. For example, white lumps are added to yuba, vermicelli, and other foods for whitening and preservation, but they can cause lung, liver, and kidney damage in poisoned people. The cancerous substance Sudan Red is used for the coloration of chili powder...
The public’s knowledge of this stems from the shock of the tragedy that the illegal additives had caused in China. So, can the additive be used? What is legal and what is illegal?
Professor Wang Zongyu from the Law School of the People's University of China who studies the food safety law said that the current consumer reaction to food additives “talks about discoloration†is because illegal additives are included in the scope of food additives. Illegal additives are additives that are outside the country's list of permitted uses. The abuse of additives refers to the use of food additives that are not permitted by the State in accordance with the regulations. Hang white, Sudan red, clenbuterol, melamine ... ... These are illegal additives, is the production of businesses to add food in order to reduce costs and increase revenue, not food additives.
According to Wang Zongyu, at present, the country mainly controls the access of food additives by controlling the production and use of food additive licenses and publishing the catalog of food additives that can be used. Under normal circumstances, the legalization of an additive must go through many procedures such as application, evaluation, and approval, and it requires a use permit. Wang Zongyu revealed that most of the illegal additives currently on the market are unpatched.
The "preservation faction" of food additives insists that food additives are the soul of the modern food industry. The rational use of food additives in the food processing and manufacturing process can not only make the processed foods look good in color, smell, taste, shape and structure, but also To maintain and increase the nutritional content of foods and prevent food spoilage, as long as they are used according to regulations and standards, additives will not cause damage to human health. However, who can actually guarantee that it will not be excessive?
According to the "Food Safety Law", the use of food additives has two conditions, "one is really necessary, and the other is through a risk assessment to prove safe and reliable." In addition, the standards that have been established should also be adjusted in time according to the results of use. The reason for this is that almost all food additives are harmful to health if they are consumed for a long period of time.
It may be unfair to attribute all food safety problems to food additives, but it cannot be denied that the vast majority of food safety issues are related to food additives. There are more than 2,500 food additives currently listed in the national standard. So are they all "necessary"? It is currently proven to be safe and reliable. Can it guarantee that no security problems will be discovered in the future?
The lack of standard test methods According to the reporter, as early as 1995, Sudan Red was identified as a carcinogen. In 1996, China banned the use of food additives in health standards. However, until the "Sudan Red Incident" broke out in 2005, the Sudanese Red Army became the subject of thorough investigation by various geological supervision departments across the country. In other words, in the nearly 10 years before the incident broke out, China has not introduced the testing methods and standards related to Sudan. This is tantamount to the fact that Sudan Red, though banned, has never been detected.
The same lesson continues to be repeated in the "melamine incident". After the damage caused by melamine, the relevant departments started to investigate and deal with it. The lagging investigation can only be under the pressure of the masses, and it will be "a matter of turbulence". "Shoot death" thing, a temporary solution.
Recently, the media also broke out. Hotpot additives are popular, not only in Nanjing, Beijing, but also in other places. Similarly, hot pot additives should not be "unknown additives." Regarding whether or not they can be used, there should be a unified and feasible standard, and the necessary industry norms must not be lacking. However, the relevant person of the China Food Additives and Ingredients Association said: "China's general standards for compound food additives are still in the process of being formulated." Obviously, relevant departments' prior specifications for hot pot additives are in a disorderly state, letting manufacturers and hot pot restaurants. Drilled into the loopholes in the policy.
Another problem elicited by hot pot additives is that there are no clear regulations on whether food additives can be used in catering services and how to effectively control usage and scope. The Hygienic Standard for the Use of Food Additives uses grams as a unit of measurement for the use of food additives, and uses milligrams as a unit of measurement for residual amounts, while the vast majority of food and beverage industries in China do not have the ability to accurately measure. The Hygienic Standards for the Use of Food Additives stipulate the use of standards and residue limits for the protection of public health.
According to the “Regulations on the Administration of Food Labeling†revised by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in 2009, where sweeteners, preservatives, and colorants are used directly in foods, specific names should be marked under the food additives list of the ingredients list; if other food additives are used, Mark a specific name, kind, or code. Due to the fact that the catering industry does not have the characteristics of stereotyped packaging, it is difficult to mark the relevant content of food additives for each dish.
A survey by the reporter found that hot pot additive products on the market are mostly printed with the QS logo, and the relevant documents are complete. However, this can only prove that these products are "theoretically qualified." The production process and afterward supervision of these hot pot additives are also in a state of deficiency, and similar hidden dangers can be seen everywhere.
And look at the bag packaging products we usually eat, most of them will only indicate the addition of food additives, and rarely express the specific content of the addition, even if it is clear that some of the chemical name of the mouthwash, ordinary people simply can not determine the safety or not It can be seen that for the sake of identifying the safety of foods, consumers are still “powerlessâ€.
To avoid and reduce the occurrence of similar incidents, “law enforcement agencies must scan the same way as anti-virus software.†Wang Zongyu believes that the main work is the previous prevention, peacetime management, and remedy before death.
A person who engaged in nutrition and food safety research on condition of anonymity told reporters his views. He said that China’s food safety is not controlled by anyone, but that there are too many people in charge. Many departments such as agriculture, quality supervision, health, industry and commerce, drug administration, **, entry-exit inspection and quarantine, etc. have the responsibility and authority to manage food safety issues. The laws and regulations related to food safety are scattered among dozens of laws and regulations such as the “Food Hygiene Law†and “Product Quality Law.†There is not a single unified regulation that covers every aspect of food from farmland to table, and problems are inevitable. Push it.
How many "Flour Brighteners"
This reporter learned that regarding the safety of flour whitening agents, as early as 2001, the China Grain Industry Association and the China Cereals and Oils Institute had once submitted to the National Standardization Administration the 65 major flour processing enterprises in the United Nations to submit “On modification of the use of food additives. The standard prohibits the use of flour whiteners.
In the debate over whether flour whiteners should be banned, Wang Ruiyuan, the director of the former Grain and Oil Industry Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, said that "If you can't see a banned and unnoticed life in your lifetime," Chen Junshi, director of the China Food Engineering Standardization Technical Committee and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, insists "Whiteners are harmless," and there are experimental support from Chinese and foreign scientists. The opinions of the "main ban" and "main deposit" are quite different and difficult to unite.
It was not until December 15 this year that the website of the Ministry of Health Supervision Office publicly asked for opinions on whether to prohibit the use of flour brighteners, benzoyl peroxide and ****. Even if they pass, they must wait until December next year to ban the increase of flour. White agent.
A flour brightener, it will take 10 years to wait, how many similar flour whitening food additives are in use in the market?
Like benzoyl peroxide, the role of many food additives is only to improve the color, aroma, and taste of the food, and there is no other use for it. For example, sweeteners, thickeners, colorants, color protectors, spices, etc., can use fresh meat tenderizer "playing tender", boneless bone soup can be "a drop of incense" stir.
Wang Zongyu told reporters that such situations are very common. For example, in the toilet paper, silver powder is added for whitening, hair is made into soy sauce, and talcum powder is added to wheat (2561, 19.00, 0.75%). Allowing the addition of too much, unnecessary additives not only harms people's health, but also provides an opportunity for lawless elements.
For the safety of food additives, we cannot do human trials unless the patient's food source is very simple. For injuries caused by additives, it is difficult for consumers to obtain information to prove the damage. For the regulatory authorities, the number of additives has reached more than 2,300, and the level of each legal additive has been comprehensively monitored. In fact, there are cost problems. However, for some companies, the addition of illegal additives is a direct interest chain. Under huge profits, the conscious determination of enterprises alone is far from enough, especially small workshops in the market.
Wang Zongyu said that any industry is a game of interests of all parties, "butt decide the brain." The prohibition on the use of food additives is of course for the common people. However, the government's introduction of policies must also consider the survival of enterprises and require a transitional period. However, any interest should not be overridden by human safety. Food additives that only address color, appearance, and taste should not be tolerated when they are banned. At the same time, the list of currently approved food additives should be gradually withdrawn.