Illegal additives tainting hotpots
By Zhang Xuanchen and Xu Fang |
December 16, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FANS of Chinese hotpots are warned to be cautious in the eastern Jiangsu Province as they might actually be enjoying a simmering pot of illegal food additives and chemicals that may pose a health risk.
A hotpot restaurant owner in Nanjing City, capital of Jiangsu, said it is common practice to add a variety of synthetic compounds to make the pot's base broth.
The additives are put in to give the dish a fragrant aroma, a spicy taste and also a bright-red look, reported the local Yangtze Evening News yesterday.
"It is also a cost-saving necessity," the man surnamed Wu, who operates his restaurant near a university town in Nanjing, told the newspaper.
Wu said a spoonful of flavor-enhancing chemicals can make a large pot of popular soup, which can be used for a whole week to serve customers. Such chemicals cost about 35 yuan (US$5.25) for 500 grams at Nanjing market, a much lower price than that of natural ingredients.
A vendor selling additives, identified by his surname Huang, said business is currently good thanks to the upcoming winter, when hotpots are especially popular.
Huang said the sale of °?hotpot additives is "rampant" at markets and he had a number of hotpot restaurants as regular customers.
However, the deals are often done under the table as many of the products are banned.
In contrast to Huang, another unidentified vendor said the chemicals are legal by showing a package printed with a registration mark that says it has been approved by the quality watchdog.
But further investigation by the newspaper revealed the mark to be fake.
Officials at the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration said they are not aware of additives being used in the city at the moment, but that they will be monitoring the situation closely.
Duan Fugen, secretary-general of the Shanghai Restaurants' Association, advised consumers to select hotpot restaurants with well-known names and reputations, saying that their quality can be assured.
As for those small ones, nobody can tell whether the hotpot contained harmful additives or not, he said.
A hotpot restaurant owner in Nanjing City, capital of Jiangsu, said it is common practice to add a variety of synthetic compounds to make the pot's base broth.
The additives are put in to give the dish a fragrant aroma, a spicy taste and also a bright-red look, reported the local Yangtze Evening News yesterday.
"It is also a cost-saving necessity," the man surnamed Wu, who operates his restaurant near a university town in Nanjing, told the newspaper.
Wu said a spoonful of flavor-enhancing chemicals can make a large pot of popular soup, which can be used for a whole week to serve customers. Such chemicals cost about 35 yuan (US$5.25) for 500 grams at Nanjing market, a much lower price than that of natural ingredients.
A vendor selling additives, identified by his surname Huang, said business is currently good thanks to the upcoming winter, when hotpots are especially popular.
Huang said the sale of °?hotpot additives is "rampant" at markets and he had a number of hotpot restaurants as regular customers.
However, the deals are often done under the table as many of the products are banned.
In contrast to Huang, another unidentified vendor said the chemicals are legal by showing a package printed with a registration mark that says it has been approved by the quality watchdog.
But further investigation by the newspaper revealed the mark to be fake.
Officials at the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration said they are not aware of additives being used in the city at the moment, but that they will be monitoring the situation closely.
Duan Fugen, secretary-general of the Shanghai Restaurants' Association, advised consumers to select hotpot restaurants with well-known names and reputations, saying that their quality can be assured.
As for those small ones, nobody can tell whether the hotpot contained harmful additives or not, he said.
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