Is Food Safe?

On September 21, 2011, without "one alum, two alkalis and three salts", deep-fried dough sticks could not be made: without baking powder, Mantou would be dead dough; Brewing skin needs to be treated with lime, while tofu needs to be seasoned with brine. Adding additives to food comes from tradition and has a long history, which is closely related to our daily lives. However, after wave after wave of food safety incidents caused by non food substances such as Sudan red, sodium bicarbonate, melamine, and clenbuterol, food additives make people shudder. Never eat food with additives! "" Food additives can cause diseases! "People have an inexplicable fear of food additives, and even fall into a crisis of trust when talking about" additives ".
Should there be additives in food? Are food additives really unsafe? For this reason, our reporter conducted in-depth understanding.
People have misunderstandings about food additives, "said Hu Yefang, who specializes in nutrition and health education at the Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. There is a saying in the food industry that" without food additives, there can be no modern food industry. Food additives can preserve food and prevent food spoilage; Can improve the sensory properties of food; Promote the diversification and convenience of food varieties; Maintain nutritional components to reduce losses and enhance the nutritional value of food through nutritional enhancers; It can also play an important role in developing specialized foods such as sugar and lipid substitutes, regulating human functions, and maintaining health to meet special needs. Without food additives, there are many problems in food storage and transportation.
The public's misconception is to confuse "food additives" with "non edible substances", making legal "food additives" illegal "non edible substances" and illegally "abusing food additives" to blame.
Food additive is a proper noun, which refers to chemical synthesis or natural substances added to food to improve food quality, color, fragrance and taste, as well as to meet the needs of antisepsis and processing technology. Relevant regulations have strict regulations on the types and amounts of food additives. It specifically refers to substances that are permitted by countries to be added to food.
Many people have a misconception that the harmful substances added to food are all food additives. However, harmful substances such as Sudan red, melamine, paraffin, sulfur, and clenbuterol do not belong to the scope of "food additives" and are "non food substances". No matter how much they are added to food, it is illegal. Food additives are different, as long as they are not used in excess or beyond the scope, they are legal.
It is understood that there are more than 2000 varieties of food additives in China, including antioxidants, preservatives, pigments, essence, emulsifiers, thickeners, bulking agents. Food additives are indispensable to processed food. As long as businesses operate in accordance with the Food Additive Use Standards, legal, qualified and not excessive "food additives" are not a problem in themselves, nor will they harm health. On the contrary, with food additives, it can meet more people's needs for food, making it less prone to spoilage and having a better taste. For example, potato chips have a relatively high oil content. If there are no antioxidants, if left for a few days, the oil will be oxidized in the air and deteriorate, producing a hala flavor; Preservatives contribute to the ability of high moisture preserved fruits and hawthorn slices to stay in good condition for a long time; Many fruit juice and coffee have strong fragrance, which is due to the use of edible essence and so on.
Hu Yefang said. If there are no food additives in processed food, microorganisms will quickly consume the nutrients in the food, and the oxygen in the air will oxidize the nutrients in the food, making it impossible to prevent spoilage for a long time. So, modern food industry cannot do without food additives. Some products claim that "this product does not contain preservatives." "This product does not contain artificial colors." "Pure natural," which is misleading the public.
Food is the top priority for the people, and safety is the top priority for food. While affirming the positive role of food additives, industry insiders also point out that ensuring food safety is not about eliminating food additives, but controlling the use of food additives within an acceptable range to prevent abuse and misuse of food additives. Relevant departments should strengthen supervision, strictly control the dosage and use, and ensure that the people can eat safely, with peace of mind, and peace of mind.