The market value of the Haitian flavor industry evaporates tens of billions of yuan. Experts in the three fields of medical research answer: Can food additives be eaten?
(Economic observation) The tens of billions of yuan of market value of the Haitian flavor industry have evaporated. Answers from experts in three fields of medical research: Can food additives be consumed?
China News Agency, Beijing, October 11 (Zhao Bin) News of the “double standard” of Haitian soy sauce additives at home and abroad has been researched multiple times in recent days, dragging down the share price of Haitian Flavor and the market value evaporated by more than 35 billion yuan after the market opened on the 10th. RMB continued to decline by more than 2% on the 11th. Controversy is ongoing around the core of this turmoil: food additives. Can food additives be consumed?
The Haitian flavor incident originated with the food additive “sodium benzoate”. Sodium benzoate is a commonly used food preservative, which has the effect of preventing spoilage and acidity and extending its shelf life, and is widely used in countries around the world. However, in recent years, the application of this additive has been limited due to concerns about its toxicity.
Many experts have analyzed that food preservatives such as sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate will actually have some impact on the human liver and kidneys. However, the human body can adapt normally if it is added and marked correctly in strict accordance with national standards.
The Jining Yutang Sauce Garden, one of Jiangbei’s four main sauce gardens, has a history of over 300 years. Tian Shuyi, chief engineer of the Jining Yutang Sauce Garden, said in an interview with the China News Agency that soy sauce, being a fermented seasoning, is rich in nutrients and difficult to store at room temperature after opening the package. High-quality soy sauce has strong anti-corrosion ability and slightly longer shelf life; preservative-free soy sauce is highly susceptible to microbial contamination during use after opening the package.
“Without food additives, there would be no modern revolution in the food industry.” Li Huiying, an associate professor at the School of Biological Science and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, said there is no need to demonize food additives. Reasonable color and fragrance adjustment is a necessary channel for people to get more happiness through diet. For example, most of the yogurt we drink is modulated flavored yogurt, which can be difficult for most people to swallow if it isn’t flavored. People with a weak digestive system, patients with gastritis and gastric ulcer may also be irritated and slightly burned by unmixed yogurt.
The same goes for replacing sugar with sweeteners, which, for most people, will have fewer negative effects on the body. Li Huiying said that as long as food is produced in strict accordance with national regulations and the dosage and use of its additives meet the requirements of industry standards, ordinary people can eat it with confidence. However, compared to special groups such as pregnant women, newborns and liver and kidney failure, it is necessary to be more cautious about foods containing food additives. In fact, more attention should be paid to illegal additions and unclear labels, especially for some bulk and processed foods on site.
Zhang Ye, a well-known clinical nutritionist and former director of the Nutrition Department of the Eighth Medical Center at PLA General Hospital, also said in an interview with China News Agency that there is no need to panic in the face of standardized use of food additives.
However, Zhang Ye also pointed out that it is not only food additives, but also the less seasonings and spices made from natural plants, the better.
First, infants and young children, whose organic functions are not yet fully developed, are relatively fragile and are more sensitive to food additives such as pigments and preservatives that must be metabolized, broken down and excreted by the liver and kidneys. The less they eat, the better. Furthermore, pregnant women are also a group with a heavy burden on liver and kidney functions and are most at risk when faced with the same food additives.
Zhang Ye said the test found that the changes in kidney function test indicators were significantly better than those of externally cooked food when eaten at home with only the simplest toppings like onion, ginger, salt and other seasonings. Even normal, healthy people will experience discomfort after continually eating certain vegetable seasonings and spices. Human taste buds have memory and children will not have excessive craving or addiction as they are little or no exposed to food additives.
Li Huiying believes that most consumers are currently “confused” about food additives and certain seasonings, reflecting that people’s understanding of the use, specifications, dosage and harms of food additives is not enough. clear. While increasing the publicity of food safety, further improvement and refinement of additives use standards, labeling specifications and other relevant laws and regulations will help to better protect consumers’ right of choice.
