Three Henan Associations Jointly Advocate: Food Additives Should Be Avoided Whenever Possible

Recently, a reporter from China Business Journal learned at the launch ceremony of Henan Province's "Foodie Season" event and the Mid-Autumn Festival specialty food exhibition and promotion event that the Henan Provincial Food Industry Association, the Henan Provincial Catering and Accommodation Industry Association, and the Henan Food Safety Promotion Association jointly issued a "Proposal on the 'Reduction in Quantity and Variety' of Food Additives." The proposal urges relevant catering and food production enterprises to commit to the standardized use of food additives, promote the implementation of "reduction in quantity and variety," and strive to achieve the principle of "avoiding use whenever possible, reducing use when possible, and substituting when possible" regarding food additives, thereby effectively addressing the problem of "exceeding scope, exceeding limits, and illegal addition" of non-food substances.

The proposal mentioned that the use of food additives should be based on safety and technological necessity, and the amount used in food should be minimized as much as possible while achieving the intended effect. Food additives should not be used to掩盖食品腐败变质 (mask food spoilage), 掩盖食品本身或加工过程中的质量缺陷 (conceal inherent quality defects of the food itself or defects arising during processing), or for the purpose of adulteration, fraud, or counterfeiting.

The reporter noted that in May of this year, the Office of the State Council's Food Safety Commission, jointly with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Health Commission, the General Administration of Customs, and the State Administration for Market Regulation, issued the "Comprehensive Management Plan for the Abuse of Food Additives," deploying a nationwide campaign to comprehensively address the issue of food additive abuse.

Furthermore, news from the launch ceremony of the National Food Safety Publicity Week held in September indicated that multiple departments have been comprehensively addressing prominent issues related to the abuse of food additives since the beginning of this year. As of now, market regulatory departments at all levels have handled a total of 7,756 cases involving food additives, with 279 cases transferred to public security organs.

Zhu Danpeng, a Chinese food industry commentator, told the reporter that the state places particular emphasis on food safety for consumers, even elevating it to a national strategy. Overall, the positioning regarding food additives is "less is better."

On the whole, national standards for the use of food additives are becoming increasingly strict.