Food additives are not a scourge
Don’t be fooled by the “zero additives” on food packaging
Our reporter Chen Xi
"The more the food is in its original flavor and natural, the safer and healthier it is", this is the thinking of many people now. When people buy food in the supermarket, "no addition" and "zero addition" often become the selection criteria. However, the State Administration for Market Regulation recently issued the "Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Food Labeling (Draft for Comment)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures") to solicit opinions from the public. The "Measures" clearly stipulates that the labels of "no addition" and "zero addition" cannot be used in food. Why is this?
"Food additives are the need for seasoning and quality preservation. Modern food production and processing cannot do without food additives. There are almost no real'zero-additive' foods. The so-called'zero-additive' is just a propaganda trick by businesses." Tianjin University of Science and Technology Food Engineering and Biology Said Wang Hao, associate professor of the School of Technology.
Therefore, once regulations such as the prohibition of "zero addition" are officially passed, it will help standardize food labeling and greatly restrict some businesses from using "zero addition" to deceive consumers; it will help strengthen the supervision and management of food labeling and protect consumers' knowledge Right and right to choose; help guide consumers to correctly understand food additives, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and food producers and operators.
Modern food production and processing cannot do without additives
With the improvement of living standards, consumers have higher and higher standards for food. Many people panic when they see a series of unrecognized chemical terms on the food manual, worrying that the irregular use of additives in food will bring safety The problem has even reached the point of talking about "addition". Once food safety issues arise, additives often become "back-ups."
"Food additives are one of the most active, developing and improving parts of the food industry. It is an artificial addition to food for the purpose of improving the color, aroma, and taste of food, as well as for the needs of anti-corrosion, preservation and processing technology. Synthetic or natural substances.” Wang Hao said, “Food additives have greatly promoted the development of the food industry. Only the use of food additives can prolong the storage period of food, ensure food safety, and provide people with more delicious and nutritious foods to meet people’s different needs. Demand. Food additives are the product of the development of the modern food industry. Without food additives, there would be no modern food industry. Therefore, food additives are also known as the soul of the modern food industry."
"After entering the food industry, it is difficult to find foods that do not contain food additives for pre-packaged foods processed by enterprises." Wang Hao said that some people think that cooking and cooking at home can avoid additives. In fact, cooking Various seasonings used for cooking also have additives. For example, soy sauce contains food additives such as caramel color, potassium sorbate, and sodium benzoate. Anticaking agents added to salt and antioxidants added to edible oil are all food additives. This is why the edible oil does not have a "hala smell" after a long time, and the salt is not easy to clump in summer.
"Some people compare the ingredient list when buying food, and think that food with fewer types of food additives is healthier than food with more additives." Wang Hao emphasized this, "As long as the food additives are used legally and in appropriate amounts, the types of food additives added are not Does not affect the quality and safety of food."
It’s not necessarily without additives if you write "zero addition"
"If illegal additives are not added, it's like the word'Sudan Red' is not added to the salted duck egg package. It shouldn't have appeared in the product, let alone on the package, because the product does not contain Illegal additives are the responsibility and obligation of the manufacturer.” Wang Hao analyzed, and if “zero addition” means that no legal additives have been added, this situation is even more interesting. The country originally stipulated additives that can be added, but the product is capitalized. If the crude label is not added, it will cause misunderstanding to consumers that these additives are harmful.
"In addition, there are some business logos that do not say that no specific substances are added, but that they are not added in general, making people think that this is a food without any additives." Wang Hao said, for example, some do not need to add preservatives. Because they do not allow spoilage microorganisms to "bear children", such as honey (high sugar), instant noodles (dry), pickled food (high salt), etc. Although these foods may not have food additives such as preservatives, they may contain other food additives, which will mislead consumers.
Wang Hao pointed out that the real problem is that some food packaging concealed, although the eye-catching notes of "zero addition" and "no addition", they actually added. In other words, the so-called "zero additions" and "no additions" have become tactics for businesses to promote, which not only damage consumers' right to know, but also disrupt the order of competition in the food market. Therefore, prohibiting food production and operation enterprises from marking "no addition" and "zero addition" on the outer packaging of food will not only help standardize and restrict the production and operation of enterprises, but also fully protect consumers' right to know.
"Zero Add" does not mean healthier and safer
"In fact, even if it is really'zero addition', it does not necessarily mean that it is safe, healthy and nutritious." Wang Hao explained, for example, food preservatives are a large category of food additives, used to prevent or delay food spoilage and prolong food preservation Period and storage period. Some foods with relatively high protein content must be added with preservatives to ensure product quality and safety, otherwise they are more prone to spoilage. Therefore, adding preservatives in a suitable range is actually a guarantee for consumer food safety.
“Sometimes the right amount of food additives can actually reduce and eliminate the output of harmful substances in the food production process.” Wang Hao, for example, said that when pickling food, adding an appropriate amount of ascorbic acid, also known as vitamin C, can effectively reduce The content of carcinogenic nitrites.
"For example, the air-dried cured meats, fermented foods, and soy products that many people love to eat. During the production process, it is easy to produce botulinum that can release highly toxic toxins. A very small amount can paralyze the nerves and cause respiratory failure. , Cause death.” Wang Hao said that in the industrialized production of food, professional and technical personnel are responsible for controlling the usage and dosage of additives, and there are also standard production processes to reduce the production of harmful substances. In the production process and before entering the market, the quality of the products must be tested according to national standards.
"Regulating the use of food additives has the effect of ensuring safety, and'zero addition' will not have more advantages in safety." Wang Hao said.