Akiumi

　　On September 10, singer Fu Song died of oral cancer at the age of 36.

Before his death, Fu Song said on social platforms that his oral cancer was caused by betel nut, calling on everyone to "cherish life and stay away from betel nut".

Recently, the topic of "36-year-old singer died of oral cancer after chewing betel nut for 6 years" once appeared on Weibo's hot search, and there was a resurgence of calls for banning the sale of betel nut in the public opinion field.

According to the staff of the Yiwu Market Supervision and Administration Bureau of Zhejiang Province, the relevant departments at the higher level have recently requested that food operators in Zhejiang Province shall not sell betel nut products with food packaging and labels.

　　Three years ago, an article titled "100 Billion "Soft Drugs" Betel Nut, and 60 Million Chinese People Are Addicted" was widely circulated on the Internet. The article described betel nut as a "soft drug" and pointed out that it "has a hundred harmful And there is no benefit", sparking a heated discussion among netizens that betel nut is harmful to oral health.

In recent years, there has been a high social voice for banning the sale of betel nut. This time, singer Fu Song became a victim of betel nut, which once again triggered social discussions about the dangers of betel nut. The wave of banning the sale of betel nut in many places is a predictable result.

　　In fact, the ban on the sale of betel nut in Zhejiang is not a temporary decision, but a measure that has been brewing for a long time.

Relevant government departments have banned the sale of betel nut, which has aroused strong support and applause from many netizens, which represents the mainstream voice to a considerable extent.

However, it should also be noted that betel nut is regarded as a special food in some places, and a very complete industrial chain has been formed. Banning the sale of betel nut will inevitably affect the vital interests of many people, so it is inevitable that there will be voices of opposition.

Not only the voluntary ban on sales in Zhejiang this time, but the introduction of similar measures in some places before has also caused different voices.

Even the suspension of betel nut advertisements has always been controversial, and it has been difficult to advance.

　　Some people believe that betel nut is a first-class carcinogen, which makes some people pay the price of their health and even their lives, and the ban is justified.

However, those who do not understand or support the ban think that the reason for banning the sale of betel nut just because it is a first-class carcinogen is not sufficient.

Because nicotine in tobacco, salted fish, smoked food, and acetaldehyde ingested with alcoholic beverages are all first-class carcinogens, should the corresponding products be banned from the shelves?

Foods containing carcinogens are not only betel nut. If other first-level carcinogens are not banned, they should not choose betel nut.

For example, a reasonable approach is to reduce consumption of food containing carcinogens and prevent cancer through a healthy lifestyle.

　　On the surface, this makes a lot of sense, but in fact, the ban on betel nut is not just because it is a first-class carcinogen, but also because it is not a food at present.

This is because the category of edible betel nut has been cancelled in the latest edition of the Classification Catalogue of Food Production Licenses in 2020. Since then, there is no basis for the production license and supervision of betel nut as food.

Although betel nut has fallen into an embarrassing status, there are many different views, but since betel nut has been removed from the food category, it will be very inappropriate to be sold as food in the market.

Therefore, delisting and banning are normal choices.

　　Not only that, as long as the "Classification Catalogue of Food Production Licenses" has been revised, any advertisement or other promotion activities that use betel nut as food will lose its legitimacy.

The production and sale of betel nut as food should be regarded as a behavior that affects food safety.

Only by understanding this truth can we unify our views on betel nut, resolve disputes, and start the action to ban the sale of betel nut as soon as possible.