Intern Reporter of Science and Technology Daily Luo Xiangru
As a necessity of daily life, many colorful "imported friends" have recently been welcomed by imported internet celebrity salts - Salt Flower, Himalayan Powder Salt, Persian Blue Salt, American Hawaiian Black Salt, German Alps Low-sodium Salt, French gray Salt and other imported internet celebrity salts "competed to appear" and sold well on e-commerce platforms.
imported salt with exquisite packaging, different shapes and exotic styles are extremely expensive - the average price of ordinary salt is mostly 3.5 yuan/500g, while a certain 380g Himalaya powder salt is priced at 49 yuan, and 100g of salt flower is priced at 128 yuan, dozens or even hundreds of times that of ordinary salt.
Is it worth the money for high-priced imported salt? Should consumers who spend high prices add a little "taste" to a healthier life, or just pay for a beautiful name? Is imported salt a "IQ tax"?
looks beautiful, it is very expensive to buy
In the promotional page of a certain brand of salt flower, quality, rare and crisp are the keywords to attract consumers -
"Legendary ingredients, treasures in salt"
"British royal steak salt, it is worthy of your quality life"
"Born extraordinary, the first choice of aristocrats"
"Salt flower gives food a rich taste, coupled with the rare production, it is deeply loved by the royal family, becoming the royal seasoning for cooking"
"Sliced pieces are crispy, sweet and long"
"A spoonful of salt flowers, the kitchen is a big shot"
...
Such advertising slogans and carefully matched pictures have captured the hearts of many people. In product reviews, many buyers gave positive reviews - "very beautiful salt" "It is indeed different from ordinary salt! It is worthy of being a high-end product", "very high-end packaging, very textured and crispy". When asked "What is the difference between salt flowers and ordinary salt", some buyers said, "The taste is not much different, slightly sweet and fresh. But it is healthier!" "Great, you will feel better when you eat it."
and similar slogans also appear in the product promotion page of Himalayan powder salt - "Only the cleanly produced Himalayan natural salt is the real nobleman" "It is a moving pink because of its natural balanced minerals such as iron, potassium, and calcium, which perfectly preserves the ancient balance and purity." "After hundreds of millions of years of crust changes, the pollution-free ancient sea salt and minerals deep in the earth's crust crystallize..."
In the comment section of this product, some buyers also said: "Small It is expensive, and the taste is the taste of salt, and it doesn't feel like Himalaya." In response, the merchant replied: "Himalayan salt is also salt, and its main taste is still umami, but it tastes lighter than ordinary refined salt, and then it is fresher. It has rich minerals, no pollution and no chemical additions, and the burden on the kidneys is small..."
Overall, apart from the so-called fancy slogans such as "quality", "noble", and "rare", the selling point of high-priced imported Internet celebrity salt is nothing more than - it looks good and contains minerals, and the taste is slightly different. For Chinese people who are used to white fine salt, imported salts with colorful and different shapes have their own exotic style, but also known as "rich in minerals", which naturally attracts many consumers who pursue healthier and higher quality life.
The problem is that the beautiful appearance of high-priced imported salt is visible to the naked eye, but are the so-called "natural", "contains minerals", "return to sweetness and longevity", and "healthier" and other advantages really not just gimmicks?
Internet celebrity salt is just salt, and imported salt does not have to be "imported"
What is the difference between the ordinary refined salt we often eat and the imported high-priced salt? The more expensive the salt, does it mean the healthier? Can the minerals in imported salt be absorbed by the human body?
To answer these questions, you need to figure out what ingredients do we actually include in the salt we eat every day.
In this regard, Professor of the School of Food Science and Nutrition Engineering of China Agricultural University and Director of Chinese Food Science and Technology Association Director said: "The salt that consumers usually see, no matter which variety, the largest ingredient is sodium chloride . Of course, there are different types of imported salts at high prices, and some imported salts contain different minerals."
Fan Zhihong emphasized that whether it is refined salt or imported salt, the main ingredients are sodium chloride, and there is not much difference. Some imported salts can indeed provide more minerals and can also be absorbed by the human body. But through a balanced diet, people can also absorb minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and other minerals contained in imported salts. "So it (imported salt) is not necessary. There may be some icing on the cake in nutrition, but it is not a necessary thing, nor is it a way to meet the nutrition required by the human body. "Fan Zhihong said.
Therefore, in terms of ingredients, imported salt is almost the same as ordinary salt, and it is impossible to distinguish between high and low. After all, Internet celebrity salt is just salt.
As for the main selling point of imported salt, Fan Zhihong said that since salt itself is a natural preservative, there is no excessive additive in refined salt. Most refined salts only have a small amount of anti-caking agent to prevent salt from agglomerating, and there is no safety problem. Consumers can rest assured. Choose. If consumers want to buy natural salt, they can also choose low-priced sun-dried sea salt.
reporter observed that on e-commerce platforms, "natural" and "no anti-caking agent" also appear on the product pages of some domestic refined salts. A brand of Tianshan Lake salt marked "no anti-caking agent" and "natural pure" salt, 300g costs only 3 yuan. The shape is different from ordinary refined salts, and the price is only 3.5 yuan/250g.
Don't have to kill imported salt in one go
Since Internet celebrities are not healthier and more natural than ordinary salt, the so-called selling point is limited to beautiful packaging, various colors and shapes, and beautiful names full of exotic style. So are consumers who buy high-priced imported salt paying "IQ tax"?
reporter noticed that in the product comment section of high-priced imported salt, most buyers need to decorate or increase the taste. Imported salt is used for Western food such as baking bread and frying steak. I believe that imported salt is "very good-looking" and "icing on the cake". Some buyers also said that "it's more expensive, not very recommended, just ordinary sea salt is fine." It can be seen that compared with the salty taste of imported salt, consumers seem to care more about its exquisite packaging, diverse colors and shapes.
"I don't think this is the 'IQ tax'. Some Western chefs specialize in collecting salt from all over the world, combining different salts with different dishes to enhance the overall taste of the dishes. In a sense, this is a manifestation of some consumers' need to upgrade their consumption. In addition, imported salt comes in various colors and can also serve as soft decoration when placed in the kitchen. "Fan Zhihong said, "If consumers think this is not an economic burden, it is understandable. "
Associate Professor of the School of Food Science and Nutrition Engineering of China Agricultural University Zhu Yi also believes that imported salts of various colors and forms not only have basic edible value, but also ornamental value. For some consumers, this is also a psychological experience. The hot sale of imported salt means that people's consumption level has improved. As long as imported salt meets food safety standards, there is no need to intervene too much.
In a society with extremely abundant salt, people should be allowed to pay for a beautiful name and a variety of "salt" colors, assuming that consumers clearly know that high-priced imported salt is not healthier and more natural than ordinary salt. Of course, if you only want to follow the trend, then you don't have to spend a lot of money and chase the same salty flavor.
Image source: Visual China
Editor: Wang Yu
Review: Zhu Li
