Establishing a Food Additive Safety Spokesperson System

(Reporter Liang Qinghua Qiu Desheng correspondent Li Zongbo) Recently, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangxi, Fujian Five Food Industry Association and Kunshan Spice Fragrance Cosmetics Industry Association held the first pan-Yangtze Delta food additive industry joint conference in Shanghai. The delegates agreed that China should establish a system of safe spokespersons for food additives as soon as possible, increase propaganda for science popularization, and adopt comprehensive measures to promote the healthy development of the food additive industry.

In response to the current situation and future development of China's food additive industry, participants proposed 9 suggestions:

The first is to stabilize the people's minds and strengthen public opinion. The relevant government departments, industry associations, and food additive companies should publicize the viewpoint of “the correct use of food additives is safe and harmless” and recommend that they be promoted in major media.

The second is to finish the formulation of food additive quality standards and management regulations as soon as possible. The members of the organization that set quality standards and management regulations must have representatives from industry associations, experts, and enterprise technicians.

The third is to fully listen to the opinions of industry associations. In order to reduce the overcapacity and waste of resources in the food additive and furnish industries caused by low-level redundant construction, backward technologies and equipment should be eliminated and the development of the industry should be regulated. Before formulating plans for the development of the food additives and ingredients industry and conducting project approvals, relevant government departments should solicit opinions from industry associations. In the future, the state should listen to the opinions and suggestions of relevant industry associations in formulating industrial policies concerning food additives and ingredients.

The fourth is to improve the access threshold for food additive manufacturers. In the management of any food additive manufacturer, someone must understand the various regulations and technical standards for food additives. The qualifications of such personnel are confirmed through training and examinations, which can be commissioned by local industry associations.

The fifth is to require food additive production enterprises to produce food additives in accordance with national standards, encourage enterprises to exceed the national standards, and produce food additives according to internationally more advanced standards.

Sixth, speed up the construction of food additive credit system in all provinces, cities, and regions. One of the goals of the establishment of a credit system is that users of food additives can identify the relevant certifications of food additives in the first instance according to the label identification.

Seventh, we will intensify the supervision of food additive technology innovation projects. The demonstration of technological innovation and product innovation in food additive manufacturers requires not only the participation of experts, but also media reporters and consumer association representatives with considerable influence and qualifications.

Eighthly, representatives of food additive industry associations should participate in the process of qualification review and daily supervision of food additive manufacturers by local regulatory authorities. In particular, the regulatory authorities should fully respect the opinions and suggestions of the industry associations when dealing with certain incidents.

Nine is the establishment of a food additives safety spokesman system. Knowledge of food additives is an integration of multidisciplinary knowledge. It is difficult for outsiders to make clear, so that people who are not clear can explain food additives, and it is easier to mislead consumers and cause unnecessary panic. It is recommended that all provinces, cities, and prefecture-level cities establish a safety spokesman system for food additives, and that each provincial and municipal spokesman may consist of 3-5 people.

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Misunderstood food additives

Food additives have played a vital role in the development of China's food industry. Without food additives, there is no food industry today. In the development process of any industry, inevitably there will be muddy sand and fishy eyes. China's food additive industry is no exception.

● The “Sudan Red” incident in 2005 pushed food additives to the public. Sudan Red is an industrial dye. The unscrupulous manufacturers added their impersonated food additives to food, causing public opinion to point to food additives.

● The “melamine” incident in 2008 was a small number of lawless elements who illegally added melamine to milk in order to increase the amount of nitrogen detected. Melamine is a chemical raw material that was added to dairy products, causing serious food safety incidents. Some people once again pointed the finger at food additives, causing the public to mistakenly believe that this is a food additive.

● In 2011, the “plasticizer” incident in Taiwan in China affected the food additive industry in the Mainland, among which, the flavor and fragrance industry was the hardest hit. At that time, in all flavors or fragrance products, phthalate esters were found to be unqualified regardless of their content or where they came from, light products were sealed for destruction, and heavy companies were discontinued. Reorganize. If the Ministry of Health had not heard the opinions of industry associations and enterprises, and made timely compliance with practical regulations, the consequences would be disastrous.

● In May 2012, Nanjing media revealed that the spiced condiment “Wang Wang of Meat Bao Wang” had extremely adverse effects on the production and application of such products. Later, after investigation by experts and authoritative departments, it was discovered that this condiment was a qualified product sold by qualified distributors.

After the occurrence of food safety incidents, the public and public opinion mostly attributed the problem to food additives. Of course, it is undeniable that some food companies have abused food additives, but they cannot blame all these problems on food additives.