Ban on flour additives
Source: Xinhua |
March 2, 2011, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
China has banned the production of two food additives commonly used to bleach flour, the Ministry of Health said yesterday.
There was no longer any need to use benzoyl peroxide and calcium peroxide in flour processing as techniques and wheat planting had improved, the ministry said.
The decision was made in response to public requests for natural food and a lower intake of chemical materials, according to the ministry.
Manufacturers will not be allowed to produce the additives or use them in flour processing from May 1. However, flour and related products currently available will still be able to be sold until their shelf life expires.
On December 15 last year, the ministry began soliciting public opinion on whether to continue allowing the additives in flour, after concerns were raised over their excessive use.
Consumers almost unanimously agreed that use of the additives should stop, while flour producers and additive manufacturers were in favor of continuing their use, the ministry said.
Under current Chinese food additive regulations, the maximum volume of benzoyl peroxide which can be used in one kilogram of flour is 0.06 grams.
Regulations vary in the United States, Canada and Japan while the European Union has banned the use of benzoyl peroxide in food.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission, an organization created in 1963 by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Health Organization to develop food standards and guidelines, says the maximum content of benzoyl peroxide in one kilogram of flour should not exceed 0.075 grams.
Su Zhi, director of health inspection and supervision bureau under the Ministry of Health, said yesterday that police had arrested 23 people for allegedly producing, marketing or using illegal food additives last year.
Targeting illegal food additives in the country's food safety overhaul last year, authorities cracked down on 5,305 related cases and confiscated more than 19.8 million yuan (US$3.01 million) of illegal gains and goods worth more than 60 million yuan, according to ministry figures.
There was no longer any need to use benzoyl peroxide and calcium peroxide in flour processing as techniques and wheat planting had improved, the ministry said.
The decision was made in response to public requests for natural food and a lower intake of chemical materials, according to the ministry.
Manufacturers will not be allowed to produce the additives or use them in flour processing from May 1. However, flour and related products currently available will still be able to be sold until their shelf life expires.
On December 15 last year, the ministry began soliciting public opinion on whether to continue allowing the additives in flour, after concerns were raised over their excessive use.
Consumers almost unanimously agreed that use of the additives should stop, while flour producers and additive manufacturers were in favor of continuing their use, the ministry said.
Under current Chinese food additive regulations, the maximum volume of benzoyl peroxide which can be used in one kilogram of flour is 0.06 grams.
Regulations vary in the United States, Canada and Japan while the European Union has banned the use of benzoyl peroxide in food.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission, an organization created in 1963 by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Health Organization to develop food standards and guidelines, says the maximum content of benzoyl peroxide in one kilogram of flour should not exceed 0.075 grams.
Su Zhi, director of health inspection and supervision bureau under the Ministry of Health, said yesterday that police had arrested 23 people for allegedly producing, marketing or using illegal food additives last year.
Targeting illegal food additives in the country's food safety overhaul last year, authorities cracked down on 5,305 related cases and confiscated more than 19.8 million yuan (US$3.01 million) of illegal gains and goods worth more than 60 million yuan, according to ministry figures.
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