Public to decide on use of whitening additives
By Pan Zheng |
December 17, 2010, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE Ministry of Health has started to solicit pubic opinion on its official website about whether to ban the usage of whitening agents in flour, which will lead to an end of the dispute soon.
Whether to use whiteners during the process of making flour has long been debated.
The side which rejects the use of whitener says the chemicals are no longer necessary due to technical advancements and questions its safety. Those who support the use of whiteners say no safety problems have been found when using the chemicals.
The food safety supervisory department under the ministry issued the statement soliciting opinion on Wednesday.
The flour whiteners include benzoyl peroxide and calcium peroxide. They have long been used in flour processing to make the flour look white, as the technology in the past was not very advanced and the flour looked yellow.
Agents to whiten flour were still listed as legal flour additives in the draft of the national standards on the usage of food additives, which was issued in September.
However, the food safety supervisory department said improvements in wheat and processing technology mean that many producers have already abandoned the use of whiteners.
Research by the country's grain administration also said it is no longer necessary to use the agents because most consumers prefer the flour to be more natural and original with few chemical additives.
The research also found that although the chemicals are safe if the right amount is used, it is very difficult to add the correct measure to the flour using current technology available. Thus, some batches of flour could contain too many whiteners, which might pose a health risk.
According to the statement on the ministry website, if public opinion is in favor of a ban, flour whiteners will be prohibited from December 1, 2011 to give flour producers one year to change over their processes. Flour produced °?before that time could still be sold on the market.
The solicitation will close at the end of this month.
Whether to use whiteners during the process of making flour has long been debated.
The side which rejects the use of whitener says the chemicals are no longer necessary due to technical advancements and questions its safety. Those who support the use of whiteners say no safety problems have been found when using the chemicals.
The food safety supervisory department under the ministry issued the statement soliciting opinion on Wednesday.
The flour whiteners include benzoyl peroxide and calcium peroxide. They have long been used in flour processing to make the flour look white, as the technology in the past was not very advanced and the flour looked yellow.
Agents to whiten flour were still listed as legal flour additives in the draft of the national standards on the usage of food additives, which was issued in September.
However, the food safety supervisory department said improvements in wheat and processing technology mean that many producers have already abandoned the use of whiteners.
Research by the country's grain administration also said it is no longer necessary to use the agents because most consumers prefer the flour to be more natural and original with few chemical additives.
The research also found that although the chemicals are safe if the right amount is used, it is very difficult to add the correct measure to the flour using current technology available. Thus, some batches of flour could contain too many whiteners, which might pose a health risk.
According to the statement on the ministry website, if public opinion is in favor of a ban, flour whiteners will be prohibited from December 1, 2011 to give flour producers one year to change over their processes. Flour produced °?before that time could still be sold on the market.
The solicitation will close at the end of this month.
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