In 2017, China’s food safety situation continued to improve steadily. However, all kinds of rumors and rumors about food safety are common on the Internet, which not only have a bad influence on industries and enterprises, but also constantly test consumers’ psychological endurance and discrimination.
Recently, the "2017 Media Communication Meeting on Scientific Interpretation of Food Safety Hotspots" was held under the guidance of china food and drug administration and China Association for Science and Technology, hosted by chinese institute of food science and technology and co-organized by China Economic Net. Based on the 29 issues of food safety risk analysis completed in chinese institute of food science and technology in 2017, the conference selected the hot food safety events that consumers were most concerned about last year, and invited experts in the food field to make a rigorous, professional and authoritative analysis.
1. Will Pu ‘er tea cause cancer?
Improper storage can cause aflatoxin growth.
In August 2017, an article "Can drinking tea prevent cancer or cause cancer" once again attracted public attention. The article holds that Pu ‘er tea contains various molds, including human carcinogen — — Aflatoxin. Subsequently, a number of industry experts refuted the incident. In fact, the news about the carcinogenicity of Pu ‘er tea triggered a heated debate in 2012, which triggered a new round of public concern this time.
Expert comment: Chen Zongmao, academician of China Academy of Engineering and former director of Tea Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that Aspergillus flavus likes to grow and reproduce in substances rich in fat and protein to form toxins, while Pu ‘er tea is an agricultural product with low contents of fat and protein, and its production process is not conducive to Aspergillus flavus’ reproduction and toxin production. At the same time, some components in tea, such as tea polyphenols, have inhibitory effects on Aspergillus flavus.
However, Chen Zongmao also suggested that enterprises should ensure standardization in the production process. During storage, once Pu ‘er tea is wet, it may produce aflatoxin.
2. Are health products "panacea"?
Does not have the effect of treating diseases.
With the continuous improvement of living standards, people pay unprecedented attention to nutritious and healthy food. Driven by powerful interests, the health food industry once appeared a mixed phenomenon. Some consumers delay their illness because of superstitious health products, which touches the public’s nerves.
According to the new Food Safety Law of People’s Republic of China (PRC), only health foods are allowed to claim their functions. However, at present, illegal addition and false propaganda in the health food industry are repeatedly prohibited, especially fraudulent marketing, which is the most serious harm.
Expert comment: Zhu Weiwei, academician of China Academy of Engineering and director of dalian polytechnic university National Marine Food Engineering Technology Center, suggested that scientific and technological investment in health food should be increased from the national and enterprise levels, and popular science propaganda should be strengthened to let the public know that health food is not a medicine, has no efficacy in treating diseases, and has restrictions suitable for people and special eating conditions; It is also necessary to strengthen the assessment and increase the accountability of the media that have long been illegal and exaggerated.
3. Is "online celebrity Food" safe?
Don’t just "face" instead of "lining"
In August, 2017, Guangdong investigated and dealt with a online celebrity drink named "Kawachao Drink" because it contained ingredients of drugs controlled by the state. Coincidentally, the sought-after popular restaurant brand "One Cage is Small and Lucky" has also completely disappeared from major catering platforms due to food safety issues … …
Expert comment: Kai Zhong, deputy director of the Youth Working Committee of chinese institute of food science and technology, said that "online celebrity Catering" has been constantly renovated in marketing, appearance and taste, which has adapted to the rapid change of hot spots in the catering industry. However, some "online celebrity foods" are sold on the Internet platform, which is out of the existing supervision system. Therefore, the supervision means of "online celebrity foods" should be innovated, the main responsibility of the Internet platform should be implemented, social governance should be strengthened, major cases should be dealt with as soon as possible, and violations of laws and regulations should be zero-tolerated.
4. Are dairy products really hygienic?
Food safety risks still exist.
According to foreign media reports, due to suspected salmonella contamination, the French government announced on December 10th, 2017 that it would expand the global recall of baby milk powder produced by French baby milk powder manufacturer Landris. The countries involved in the recall include Britain, China and Sudan.
Expert comment: Chen Ying, vice president and chief engineer of China Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, believes that the safety risks of dairy products still exist, and infant formula milk powder manufacturers should strengthen the management level of product quality and safety to reduce the risk of microbial pollution such as salmonella; And should regularly carry out health examination and food safety training for employees; Strengthen the risk monitoring of related microorganisms in production and processing, and provide scientific basis for food safety risk assessment and early warning.
5. Does eating salted fish affect health?
It doesn’t hurt to taste it once in a while
On October 30, 2017, the official website of the State Food and Drug Administration published a preliminary list of carcinogens published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the WTO (World Health Organization). Among them, Chinese salted fish, which is popular among Chinese people, ranks in the list of carcinogens. In addition, alcoholic beverages, betel nuts, second-hand tobacco smoke, etc., which are easily accessible in daily life, are all on the list. In this regard, people have doubts about the relationship between the level of carcinogenicity and the strength of carcinogenicity. Among them, "whether salted fish can still be eaten normally" has become the focus of attention.
Expert comment: Wu Yongning, technical chief engineer of the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center, said that "a class of carcinogens" only indicates that there is sufficient population-based epidemiological evidence or sufficient mechanism evidence, but there is no necessary connection between the strength of evidence and carcinogenicity. "Carcinogen grade" only expresses the certainty of evidence of human carcinogenicity, and has nothing to do with the risk of carcinogenesis. At the same time, we should also recognize the influence of dose-effect relationship. Although salted fish is a kind of carcinogen, it is not easy to equate eating salted fish with suffering from cancer when people have limited frequency and consumption each time.
6. Can drinking white wine really fight cancer?
Drinking more is definitely useless.
In November 2017, a breakthrough study of China liquor showed that "China first detected and identified non-volatile lipopeptide compounds in China traditional liquor — — Lichenin ". However, the focus of this content was quickly shifted to "lipopeptide active substances found in liquor, which have antiviral and anticancer effects", which triggered a heated discussion.
Expert comment: Ma Guansheng, director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene of Peking University College of Public Health, said that the main chemical component of liquor is ethanol, and some varieties contain a small amount of sugar, peptides or amino acids. Moderate drinking has the effect of mental excitement and produces a sense of pleasure. But excessive drinking is harmful to health.
Kang. Lichenin is a kind of non-volatile macromolecular lipopeptide compound with biological activity. However, this does not mean that liquor has the corresponding biological activity function, nor can it be concluded that "active ingredients are found in liquor, so drinking is good for health".
When publishing scientific research results, scientific and technological workers should be based on evidence and avoid excessive interpretation and inference. Enterprises should strengthen investment in scientific research, respect scientific facts, refrain from exaggeration and false propaganda, and establish a good corporate brand image based on scientific research results. When reporting, the media should follow the principles of objectivity, fairness and rigor, and give full play to correct guidance based on scientific research.
7. Can "alum-free fritters" contain aluminum?
Reasonable and standardized use of aluminum is harmless to health
In December 2017, official website, a member of the Shanghai Consumer Protection Committee, announced that in the process of consumer inspection, they found that aluminum in the "alum-free fried dough sticks" products manufactured and sold by some catering institutions exceeded the standard. Then, whether aluminum residue is allowed in "alum-free fritters" and whether it is attributed to illegal addition has aroused widespread concern among consumers.
Expert comment: Tan Bin, a researcher at the Scientific Research Institute of the State Grain Administration, said that "alum-free fritters" does not mean aluminum-free fritters. The National Standard for Food Safety, Standard for the Use of Food Additives, stipulates that aluminum-containing food additives can be used appropriately in fried noodle products such as fried dough sticks according to production needs. There has been sufficient research on aluminum-containing food additives at home and abroad, and strict standards have been formulated for its scope of use, dosage and residue. As long as the aluminum residue in food meets the national food safety standards, it will not be harmful to human health.
Relevant departments should strengthen food safety risk communication, help the public to correctly understand the risk of aluminum intake in diet, and control excessive intake of aluminum-containing foods through balanced diet. In the process of production, processing and storage, enterprises should strictly abide by the relevant national standards and regulations on food safety, and it is strictly forbidden to use food additives beyond the scope and in excess.
8. Can drinking Wang Laoji prolong life?
There is no scientific basis
On December 6, 2017, at the Fortune International Science and Technology Brainstorming Conference, the head of GPHL announced that the research results of the national "863" plan showed that drinking Wang Laoji could prolong life by about 10%. When this remark came out, it caused widespread concern and doubts from public opinion. Brand holder of Wang Laoji herbal tea — — Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group issued a document on the same day, saying that this conclusion was obtained through a two-year safety experiment on 576 rat samples. It was found that the survival rate of rats in the experimental group of Wang Laoji herbal tea was better than that in the control group, which showed that drinking Wang Laoji herbal tea for a long time could prolong the life of animals.
Expert comment: Sun Baoguo, vice chairman of chinese institute of food science and technology and academician of China Academy of Engineering, said that there is no scientific basis for this statement, and it is not the research result of the national "863" research plan. Mentioned in the report
The research results are obtained through experimental observation in rats, and their conclusions may not be applicable to human body. Moreover, the nature and purpose of the test is toxicological safety evaluation, not functional evaluation, and the test has not reached the conclusion of prolonging life. Enterprises should not process and publicize scientific research results at will; Consumers should not believe the rumor that they can live longer simply by eating and drinking, but should pay more attention to how to improve the quality of life.
9. What is the effect of online catering supervision?
Supervision will only get stricter and stricter.
In recent years, online catering has developed rapidly. On the one hand, it provides convenience for people’s fast-paced life, on the other hand, it also exposes some problems, such as the environmental protection of lunch boxes and the kitchen problems exposed by online merchants.
At the end of December 2017, in order to further require domestic online catering service platforms to clarify their responsibilities and implement the relevant requirements of the upcoming Measures for Food Safety Supervision and Management of Online Catering Services, the State Food and Drug Administration interviewed Baidu Takeaway, Meituan Review and other domestic major online catering service platforms. The "Measures" have clear provisions on a series of consumer rights protection, such as "online merchants should have physical stores and online and offline should be homogeneous".
Expert comment: Feng Enyuan, vice president of China Cuisine Association, said that the characteristic of online catering is to provide delicious meals for consumers on the premise of quickness. Consumers are participants in online catering services, and are also the ultimate perceptors and beneficiaries of food safety. Therefore, consumers should enhance their awareness of self-protection, and actively supervise, complain and report food safety violations and hidden dangers. In addition, the regulatory authorities and platforms should establish a classification and blacklist system for illegal businesses, and serious offenders should never enter the platform again.
10. "Flammable vermicelli" is added with plastic?
The starch in dried noodles itself is combustible.
For some time, reports about the flammability of dried noodles have occurred from time to time, and the causes are attributed to illegal substances such as "adding plastic" or using additives harmful to human body. Netizens who don’t know the truth have followed suit and reached the same conclusion. Then, can the food that can be ignited be eaten normally?
Expert comment: Shen Qun, a professor at the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering of China Agricultural University, said that substances need three conditions to burn: combustible substances, a certain temperature and oxygen. The main raw material of dried noodles is vegetable starch, which belongs to dry combustible substances. When the vermicelli is ignited in the air, it just meets the three conditions of combustion, so it is not surprising that the vermicelli is flammable. This not only can’t judge whether vermicelli contains additives, but also can’t be the basis of its toxicity and harm. False food safety information will cause serious damage to the development of industries and enterprises. We should strengthen public opinion monitoring, a hot spot of food safety, to prevent and control network rumors. Whoever fabricates or disseminates false food safety information shall be given administrative penalties for public security according to law. (Economic Daily-China Economic Net reporter Ji Leilei)