Food additives are not a scourge. Don’t be fooled by the "zero addition" on food packaging.
"The more authentic and natural the food, the safer and healthier it will be", which is the idea of many people now. When people buy food in the supermarket, "no addition" and "zero addition" often become the selection criteria. However, recently, the State Administration of Market Supervision 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 stipulate that "no addition" and "zero addition" cannot be used in food. Why is this?
"Food additives are the needs of seasoning and quality assurance, and modern food production and processing are inseparable from food additives, which is really ‘ Zero addition ’ There is almost no food, so-called ‘ Zero addition ’ It’s just a trick of business promotion. " Wang Hao, an associate professor at the School of Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, said.
Therefore, once the regulations such as "zero addition" are officially passed, it will be beneficial to standardize food labeling and greatly limit the operation of some businesses to fool consumers with "zero addition"; It is conducive to strengthening the supervision and management of food labeling and protecting consumers’ right to know and choose; It is conducive to guiding consumers to correctly understand food additives and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and food producers and operators.
Modern food production and processing are inseparable from additives.
With the improvement of living standards, consumers’ standards for eating are getting higher and higher. Many people are flustered at the sight of a string of unfamiliar chemical terms in food instructions, and they are worried that the irregular use of additives in food will bring safety problems, even to the point of talking about "adding". Once food safety problems occur, additives often become "back-pot men".
"Food additives are one of the most active, developing and improving parts in the food industry. It is a synthetic or natural substance added to food to improve the quality of food such as color, fragrance and taste, and to meet the needs of anti-corrosion, preservation and processing technology. " Wang Hao said, "Food additives have greatly promoted the development of food industry. Only using food additives can prolong the storage period of food, ensure food safety, provide people with more delicious and nutritious food and meet people’s different needs. Food additives are the product of the development of 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 industrialization, it is quite difficult for prepackaged foods, which has been processed by enterprises, to find food without food additives." Wang Hao said that some people think that they can stay away from additives when cooking at home. In fact, there are many additives in various seasonings used in cooking. For example, soy sauce contains food additives such as caramel color, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate, and anti-caking agents added in salt and antioxidants added in edible oil are all food additives. This is why edible oil has no "spicy taste" after being put for a long time, and salt is not easy to agglomerate in summer.
"Some people will compare the ingredient list when buying food, and think that foods with fewer kinds of food additives are healthier than foods with more additives." In this regard, Wang Hao emphasized that "as long as food additives are used legally and in moderation, the number of types added does not affect the quality and safety of food."
Writing "zero addition" does not necessarily mean that there are no additives.
"If illegal additives are not added, it’s like a salted duck egg package that says ‘ Sudan Red ’ is not added; Similarly, it should not appear in the product, let alone on the packaging, because it is the responsibility and obligation of the manufacturer that the product does not contain illegal additives. " Wang Hao analysis, and if "zero addition" refers to the absence of legal additives, this situation is even more interesting. The state originally stipulated that additives can be added, but the products are marked in bold and bold, which will cause misunderstanding to consumers and think that these additives are harmful.
"In addition, some business logos will not say that no specific substances have been added, but only that they have not been added in general, which makes people think that this is food without any additives." Wang Hao said, for example, some foods that don’t need preservatives themselves, because they don’t have an environment for corrupt microorganisms to "have children", such as honey (high sugar), instant noodle cakes (dry) and pickled foods (high salt). Although these foods may not contain preservatives as food additives, they will contain other food additives, which will mislead consumers.
Wang Hao pointed out that the real problem is that some food packages are secretive, and although they are marked with "zero addition" and "no addition", they are actually added. In other words, the so-called "zero-addition" and "no-addition" have become the propaganda tactics of merchants, which not only damages consumers’ right to know, but also disrupts the competition order in the food market. Therefore, it is forbidden for food production and operation enterprises to mark "no addition" and "zero addition" on food packaging, which not only helps to standardize and restrict the production and operation behavior of enterprises, but also fully protects consumers’ right to know.
"Zero addition" does not mean healthier and safer.
"In fact, even if it’s true ‘ Zero addition ’ It does not mean that it is safe, healthy and nutritious. " Wang Hao explained that, for example, food preservatives are a major category of food additives, which are used to prevent or delay food spoilage and prolong food preservation and storage period. There are some foods with high protein content, and preservatives must be added to ensure the quality and safety of the products, otherwise it will be 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 reduce and eliminate the output of harmful substances in the food production process." Wang Hao, for example, said that when curing food, adding proper amount of ascorbic acid, which is commonly known as vitamin C, can effectively reduce the content of carcinogenic nitrite.
"For example, many people like to eat air-dried cured meat, fermented foods and bean products. In the production process, it is easy to produce botulinum that can release highly toxic toxins. A very small amount can paralyze nerves, which in turn causes respiratory failure and death." Wang Hao said that in the industrial production of this kind of food, professional technicians are responsible for controlling the usage and dosage of additives, and there are also standard production procedures to reduce the generation of harmful substances. In the production process and before entering the market, we should also carry out quality inspection on products according to national standards.
"Standardizing the use of food additives has the function of ensuring safety, ‘ Zero addition ’ There will be no more advantages in security. " Wang Hao said.
Reporter Chen Xi