"Hex Technology and Hard Work" has been on the hot search, and the safety of food additives has returned to the public's vision. Food additives are not a disaster, the key is how to "use them correctly".
Written by Luo Zhongyun (Commentator of this newspaper) Editor/Ji Jingjing
Recently, the new word "Hex Technology and Hard Work" has frequently been on the hot searches, causing a huge shock in the food industry.
The so-called "Hex Technology" originally specifically refers to a technology that integrates magic and technology in the game. But in the short video creation of a blogger, it has become a reference technology for "turning decay into magic" of ingredients: milk tea is made of creamer powder and granules; steak is made of minced meat and scraps; bird's nest is made of gelatin and granules with sugar syrup... The video content reveals some industry chaos and has certain positive significance. But its disadvantages are also very obvious: the video uses the public's attention to food safety to create anxiety and panic. The content itself is not only exaggerated, but also the explanation is not scientific, which is very easy to mislead the public.
(Photo source: Visual China )
Recently, this "Hex Technology" has been linked to a certain brand of soy sauce and has become a new hot topic of public opinion. Some netizens revealed that the soy sauce of a brand they bought in Japan did not have additives such as preservatives on the ingredients list, only natural raw materials such as water, soybeans, wheat, salt; while others showed that the soy sauce of the brand purchased in domestic supermarkets contained a variety of additive ingredients, so they questioned that the company was implementing the "double standards". This question then further evolved into whether there should be additives in foods or seasonings such as soy sauce and whether the additives are harmful. The key points behind these two things are back to Food additives . Some netizens believe that "additives are harmful, and healthy foods should be added zero." This view is obviously unscientific. Pure nature of does not represent high quality, and traditional craftsmanship does not represent safety. For example, before the emergence of food additives, ancient people often used a large amount of sugar, salt, etc. to extend the shelf life of food, but this also brought about health problems. The intake of excessive sugar and salt is the direct cause of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular and other diseases.
Food additives have many functions, not limited to anticorrosion. According to the "H National Food Safety Standard for Food Additives Usage Standard " (GB 2760-2014) revised by my country in 2014, food additives refer to artificial synthetic or natural substances added to food to improve food quality and color, aroma, and taste, as well as to the needs of anticorrosion, preservation and processing technology. Food spices, basic substances in gum-based candies, and processing aids for food industry are also included.
has statistics. There are currently more than 25,000 food additives around the world and more than 5,000 commonly used additives; in recent years, with the improvement of public health awareness, my country's management of food additives has become increasingly strict. At present, there are 22 types of food additives in my country, and more than 2,300 varieties, of which more than 1,780 are food spices and flavors. Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering , food expert Sun Baoguo has repeatedly popularized the public: the use of food additives is to improve the quality and color, fragrance and flavor of food, as well as the needs of anticorrosion and freshness and processing technology. Food additives are closely related to the future development of the food industry. Correct use of food additives will not cause food safety problems.
The so-called " dosage determines toxicity " - The key to the problem of food additives is not whether to use it, but how to "use it correctly". In fact, both at home and abroad, there are many "added" or "not added" foods. This is mainly a marketing strategy formulated by enterprises based on different consumer preferences and consumption levels, involving many factors such as cost, price, market, and public consumption habits.
Food additives have never been monsters, prejudice and ignorance are. People’s anxiety about food safety can be understood, but they cannot blindly follow the trend. They must correctly understand and learn to distinguish.For the public, it is especially necessary to cultivate a rational and scientific spirit and way of thinking, and further improve scientific literacy, so as to avoid falling into some malicious hype traps. Of course, enterprises themselves should also be clean and use more scientific and technological means to improve the quality of food; government regulatory departments should also fully assume their responsibilities and strengthen supervision of food additives without any omissions, so that the public can feel at ease.
This incident also reflects that my country's popular science work still needs to be strengthened. It is necessary for the relevant responsible parties to start from top-level design and establish a mechanism to deal with food safety hotspots or emergencies. Through continuous efforts, guide the public to "return to facts, rationality, and science."
Produced by: Science and Technology Central Kitchen
Producer: Beijing Science and Technology News | Beike Media
