Preserved fruit in health scare
By Lu Feiran |
April 25, 2012, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
PRESERVED fruits sold in some stores, including Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Laiyifen outlets, contain an excessive amount of food additives which may be harmful to the liver and kidneys, China Central Television claimed yesterday.
It also said it found evidence of extremely filthy surroundings during production.
The CCTV investigation into some plants of raw material for preserved food in Linyi, Shandong Province, described the process of making dried salted peaches as "shocking."
The Xinglong Preserved Fruit Factory, which doesn't have hygiene or food production certificates, provides dried fruit for preserved fruit processing companies in Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces. A reporter found that the peaches, some of which were rotten, were pickled in outdoor pools which were surrounded by garbage.
Workers added sodium metabisulfite to the pool to keep the peaches looking fresh, and the water in the pool would be discharged directly into the streams near the village.
"Environment protection officials would come and fine us," a worker told CCTV. "If the additives go into the river, the water becomes undrinkable."
Sodium metabisulfite is allowed in preserved fruit production, but the sulfur dioxide residue should be less than 0.5 grams per kilogram.
The factory, however, said they used additives according to their clients' requirements. "Companies in Guangdong want more additives but those in Hangzhou want less," said Zhou Qixi, an official with the Xinglong factory.
After the dried peaches were ready, workers packed them in woven bags once used for animal feed that hadn't been cleaned.
Some of the dried fruit goes to Tangqi Town in the eastern city of Hangzhou, where there are a number of preserved fruit processing companies.
They are the suppliers for some leading snack sellers, such as Shanghai-based Laiyifen Co Ltd.
Laiyifen issued a statement last night saying it was very concerned about the problems revealed in the CCTV report, and that it was investigating the supplier mentioned in the report.
The company also said in its statement that if customers suspected any problems with any of its snacks, they can ask for a refund at Laiyifen's local outlets.
In the plants in Tangqi, CCTV reporters found that the dried fruit from Shandong would be cut into pieces and soaked in water. After soaking, workers would add more food additives. "We never measure the additives," a worker told CCTV. "And I don't really know what they are."
CCTV sent samples to the Beijing Center for Physical and Chemical Analysis for tests. The results showed that the products contained excessive amounts of artificial sweeteners, food colors and bleaching agents.
"The food additives may cause harm to people's livers and kidneys if they eat many such preserved fruits for a long term," said Li Keji, a professor at Peking University's school of public health.
It also said it found evidence of extremely filthy surroundings during production.
The CCTV investigation into some plants of raw material for preserved food in Linyi, Shandong Province, described the process of making dried salted peaches as "shocking."
The Xinglong Preserved Fruit Factory, which doesn't have hygiene or food production certificates, provides dried fruit for preserved fruit processing companies in Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces. A reporter found that the peaches, some of which were rotten, were pickled in outdoor pools which were surrounded by garbage.
Workers added sodium metabisulfite to the pool to keep the peaches looking fresh, and the water in the pool would be discharged directly into the streams near the village.
"Environment protection officials would come and fine us," a worker told CCTV. "If the additives go into the river, the water becomes undrinkable."
Sodium metabisulfite is allowed in preserved fruit production, but the sulfur dioxide residue should be less than 0.5 grams per kilogram.
The factory, however, said they used additives according to their clients' requirements. "Companies in Guangdong want more additives but those in Hangzhou want less," said Zhou Qixi, an official with the Xinglong factory.
After the dried peaches were ready, workers packed them in woven bags once used for animal feed that hadn't been cleaned.
Some of the dried fruit goes to Tangqi Town in the eastern city of Hangzhou, where there are a number of preserved fruit processing companies.
They are the suppliers for some leading snack sellers, such as Shanghai-based Laiyifen Co Ltd.
Laiyifen issued a statement last night saying it was very concerned about the problems revealed in the CCTV report, and that it was investigating the supplier mentioned in the report.
The company also said in its statement that if customers suspected any problems with any of its snacks, they can ask for a refund at Laiyifen's local outlets.
In the plants in Tangqi, CCTV reporters found that the dried fruit from Shandong would be cut into pieces and soaked in water. After soaking, workers would add more food additives. "We never measure the additives," a worker told CCTV. "And I don't really know what they are."
CCTV sent samples to the Beijing Center for Physical and Chemical Analysis for tests. The results showed that the products contained excessive amounts of artificial sweeteners, food colors and bleaching agents.
"The food additives may cause harm to people's livers and kidneys if they eat many such preserved fruits for a long term," said Li Keji, a professor at Peking University's school of public health.
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