Shijiazhuang: Food Additives Now Declared on Labels, Yet Doubts Persist

Adding another safety lock to food safety, the Provisions on the Supervision and Administration of Food Additive Production officially took effect in June, and today most packaged foods on the market label the additives they contain on their outer packaging. However, in the course of interviews the reporter found that the food additives that are clearly labeled — because they come in so many varieties and bear such technical names — create a great deal of confusion for consumers and have frightened quite a few of them as well.

Unclear additive labeling will lead to a recall order

Starting from June 1 this year, the Provisions on the Supervision and Administration of Food Additive Production officially took effect, lifting the veil of mystery from the additives in processed foods. "This not only helps safeguard consumers' right to know, so that people can make selective purchases, but also further raises the production access threshold for food additives, adding a bargaining chip for food safety in the future," a relevant official of Shijiazhuang told the reporter.

The reporter learned that foods whose labeling is unclear or that use substandard additives may carry hidden safety hazards, and quality supervision departments will carry out strict enforcement inspections; through regular or irregular sampling surveys, manufacturers will be ordered to implement recalls when problems are found. A relevant city official said that the food additives used by manufacturers must be produced by enterprises holding production licenses and must be clearly labeled on the packaging.

In the course of supervision and in the course of consumer complaints, quality supervision departments can spot possible hidden hazards from labels. In response to situations on the market where food labels are unclear or incomplete, quality supervision departments will step up enforcement inspections of manufacturers. If problems are found, food manufacturers will be notified to carry out recalls; if an enterprise fails to implement a recall, quality supervision departments will take measures to compel the enterprise to recall.

More than 10 additives frighten consumers

Visiting several large supermarkets in the city, the reporter found that all kinds of packaged foods on the shelves had, in compliance with the Provisions, labeled the additives they contain on their outer packaging.

In one supermarket, picking up a pack of custard pies at random and glancing at the labeling on the outer packaging, one finds that there are 14 food additives in total, such as maltitol, sorbitol, thickeners and leavening agents. Even a small ice cream bar contains more than a dozen food additives: phospholipids, maltose syrup, whole milk powder, high-fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, lactic acid, sodium lactate, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, xanthan gum, glyceryl monostearate, guar gum, carrageenan, citric acid, sodium citrate, food flavorings, sodium cyclamate, amaranth red, brilliant blue... These obscure-sounding technical terms, displayed starkly on the packaging, inevitably make people uneasy when buying food.

The reporter's interviews found that quite a few consumers pay some attention to additives when shopping. They have a certain understanding of additives such as vitamins, food flavorings, citric acid, β-carotene and colorants, but they find additives such as sodium hexametaphosphate, emulsified silicone oil and pectin unfamiliar. Are these food additives used above the permitted limits, and are they safe? These questions have become the doubts in consumers' minds when shopping.

Eat as little food with many additives as possible

The reporter's survey found that most foods already label the additives they use as required. "But merely labeling the names of additives is far from enough." An industry insider said that consumers simply have no idea what kind of additive lies behind an unfamiliar term, or whether it is harmful to the body.

In the supermarket, the reporter saw Mr. Li choosing hawthorn slices. "Although the additives are all labeled as required, these chemical terms are too technical, and I don't understand their functions or the prescribed amounts. When buying, I have no choice but to compare and pick the product with the fewest kinds of additives among similar items."

A relevant city official said that as long as food additives are used within the national limits, they can be eaten without worry. However, there are 22 categories and 1,812 kinds of food additives permitted by the state, and the raw materials of these additives are mostly chemical substances; although the state permits their use in food, excessive use will harm the liver and kidneys, and has a particularly great impact on children's health. Therefore, do not rely excessively on ice cream and ice pops to cool off in summer, and eat as little puffed and processed food as possible.

City law enforcement officers remind the public that food safety is not only about the use of food additives; when buying packaged food, while paying attention to food additives, consumers should also pay attention to the production date, shelf life and whether there is a QS safety mark on the food packaging.

Using additives within the prescribed range will not harm health

"As long as food additives are used within the range prescribed by national standards, they will not affect human safety." A relevant official of the Shijiazhuang food division explained that food additives permitted for use all have strict hygiene standards and quality standards, must be approved by the relevant departments, be used in the prescribed foods, and be used in the prescribed added amounts.

It is understood that since the beginning of this year the quality supervision system has continuously strengthened supervision over food additive producers and over the use of food additives by food production and processing enterprises. In accordance with the Provisions on the Supervision and Administration of Food Additive Production, quality supervision departments apply a declaration system to the use of food additives by food manufacturers, requiring enterprises to declare to quality supervision departments the names and amounts of the food additives they use.

During production, the Shijiazhuang quality supervision system also supervises the use of food additives. All foods must clearly label the various ingredients according to the amounts used; in particular, where sweeteners, preservatives or colorants are used directly in food, their specific names must be indicated, so that consumers can eat with peace of mind.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn), original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362180.html