China bans 17 harmful substances in food

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FARM NEWS

China bans 17 harmful substances in food

by Staff Writers

Beijing (AFP) Dec 16, 2008

China has published a list of 17 acids, chemicals and other

substances that have been banned as food additives, amid a four-month

safety campaign following a scandal over tainted milk.

Illegal items posted on the Chinese health ministry's list include

boric acid, a chemical used as an insecticide or flame retardant that

is known to be added to noodles or the skin of dumplings to increase

their elasticity.

Formaldehyde, applied to dried seafood to improve its appearance, but

also commonly used as a disinfectant, was another dangerous substance

on the banned list, published on the ministry's website late on

Monday.

Some of the substances, such as the carcinogenic dye Sudan Red 1, had

already been banned by the government, but this was the first

official compilation of illegal food additives in China.

The crackdown comes after a scandal involved dairy products

contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine.

The government said 294,000 children fell ill with kidney problems

this year from drinking tainted milk and six may have died.

The chemical was routinely added to watered-down milk to give it the

appearance of high protein levels, with at least 20 Chinese dairy

companies found to have sold contaminated products.

The milk scandal, which erupted in September, caused global concern

with countries around the world banning or recalling China-made dairy

products.

This prompted authorities to launch a four-month food safety drive at

the beginning of December to try to restore confidence in the " Made-

in-China " brand.

The government said when it announced the campaign that it would

start out softly, with companies urged to correct their own

shortcomings.

But officials would soon begin raiding food producers deemed high-

risk and carry out random checks, it warned.

The list of banned food additives on Monday also included sodium

thiocyanate, used in the manufacture of textiles, and added to milk

and dairy products to keep them fresh.

Hazzard, a regional adviser for food safety in the World

Health Organisation's Western Pacific office, said the list could

prove useful in reducing the illegal use of such chemicals, by

raising awareness.

But he told AFP it was more efficient to have a list of additives

that could be used in food rather than an un-ending list of ones that

could not.

As part of the crackdown, the health ministry also published on

Monday the names of additives that could easily be abused when added

to food products.

It mentioned leavening agents as one such substance, used to make

cakes and dough sticks, which could leave excessive aluminium

residues if added in excessive quantities.

But the ministry warned the lists were not exhaustive.

" These lists... cannot cover all problems linked to illegally adding

substances in food and abusing additives in the industry, " it said in

its online statement.

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