Investigation motivation
Recently, the topic of "36-year-old singer chewed betel nut html html died of oral cancer in 46 years" once became a hot search. In the video posted before his death, the singer showed netizens his left face, who suffered from oral cancer and ulcerated due to long-term chewing betel nut. He said painfully that his greatest happiness is that his wound does not hurt at night, so that he can have a good sleep. He also advised netizens who like to chew betel nut not to be lucky and stay away from betel nut.
"2021-2026 In-depth Analysis and Investment Value Research Consulting Report" shows that my country's betel nut consumers have exceeded 100 million. For some people, chewing betel nut is an important medium for their daily life and even for their communication. However, the sound of whether to ban betel nuts has been heard in recent years. Since mid-September this year, Yiwu, Zhejiang, Yingshan, Sichuan, Nanchang, Jiangxi and other places have successively issued documents requiring food operators not to sell betel nut products as food.
Why do so many people love to chew betel nut? How harmful is it to chew betel nut? Should be banned or regulated betel nut sales? With these questions in mind, the reporter conducted an investigation and interview.
Intern reporter Zhang Shoukun
Reporter of this newspaper Chen Lei
This summer vacation, when college student Liu Zhuang (pseudonym), returned to his hometown in Henan, he found that many villagers who had no idea about betel nut a few years ago chewed betel nut, and the village’s convenience store also placed betel nut in a conspicuous position.
"Why are betel nuts suddenly here?" Faced with Liu Zhuang's question, the owner of the convenience store told him that there were no betel nuts in the village, but as more and more people asked, at the beginning, they were mainly young people who went out to work and returned home, so the convenience store started to purchase goods, and the sales volume and profit were good. Now more and more people are buying betel nuts, including minors.
Liu Zhuang understands the dangers of chewing betel nuts. He is worried about many people around him even having minors chewing betel nuts.
Long-term consumption is harmful to health
Doctors recommend staying away from betel nut
Why so many people love to chew betel nut?
Tianjin Dental Hospital Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Deputy Chief Physician Xiang Xu said that some studies believe that are nutine, the main component of betel nut, can stimulate the nerves, create a pleasant feeling, and can improve concentration and reaction, and relieve fatigue.
Song Hui from Suzhou, Anhui Province has been chewing betel nut for 5 years. He told the reporter of " Law Daily " that most people who like betel nut have heard this saying "betel nut with wine, the more you drink it, the more you drink it; betel nut plus cigarettes have endless magic power." "In the past, I went to an Internet cafe to spend the night, and I finished chewing a bag of betel nut unknowingly. Now I work and often work night shifts, so I can't live without betel nut." Among the people he knew, truck drivers, night shift workers, and some people who often stay up late had a great demand for betel nut. Liu Feng, who lives in Yiyang City, Hunan Province, introduced that betel nut has become a cultural symbol for them. "Just like dissipating cigarettes and toasting, betel nut has become a kind of etiquette and social means. No matter whether men, women, young or young, they will ask, "Whether betel nut is right?" (whether or not eat betel nuts are eaten), some people did not eat it at first, but they couldn't resist repeated invitations from acquaintances and friends, and gradually they started to eat it."
Under the strong demand, betel nut sales have also risen. " China Market Supervision News " reported that from 2011 to 2018, the output value of the betel nut industry increased from 55.8 billion yuan to 78.1 billion yuan, and it showed a continued upward trend.
htmlOn September 20, a reporter saw during a visit to Hedong District, Tianjin that many supermarkets are selling betel nuts, and the price of a pack is mostly twenty or thirty yuan. There are advertisements for a certain betel nut brand at the doors of many supermarkets. Betel nuts are usually placed at the counter or at a conspicuous location that you can see as soon as you enter the door."On the one hand, it is because betel nut itself sells well and has high profits. In addition, merchants have given display fees. The monthly display fees for betel nuts in different brands of larger supermarkets may be several thousand yuan." A supermarket owner told reporters.
reporter noticed that many brands of betel nuts are marked with prize sales, and there are redemption coupons in the packaging bags. The prizes include: another pack, 5 yuan for one bag of wolfberry betel nuts, gold jewelry, etc.The above-mentioned supermarket owner said that the winning rate of betel nut is relatively high. Some time ago, someone in the store won gold jewelry, "The lottery also aroused the desire to buy some people."
However, modern medicine has proven that chewing betel nut is addictive and harmful.
"The arecaline in betel nut is easy to make people addicted. Chewing betel nut for a long time will bring about excessive tooth loss, darkening, gum recession, masseter muscle hypertrophy and other problems. In addition, a series of oral mucosal diseases will occur, with a high probability of fibrous changes in the oral mucosal cavity, causing the entire oral mucosa to become white and hard, the mouth opening is restricted, eating dysphagia , etc., and these oral mucosal diseases are all likely to become cancerous." Xiang Xu said.
As early as 2003, WHO (WHO) listed betel nut as a first-class carcinogen; in 2017, when the former State Food and Drug Administration also listed betel nut as a first-class carcinogen when it announced the list of carcinogens.
According to public data from relevant hospitals, betel nut has caused 8,222 oral cancer cases in just ten years (from 2005 to 2016). Data from the 2021 Hunan Province Tumor Registration Annual Report shows that the incidence of oral cancer in males in Hunan has risen to 5th and the mortality rate has risen to 8th. The health and welfare department of Taiwan has also released relevant data. There are about 7,000 people suffering from oral cancer every year, and 3,000 people die every year, and 95% of people have the habit of chewing betel nut.
8 years ago, an article titled "The "Face Cut Man" in the Kingdom of Betel nut" was widely circulated on the Internet. Liu Sangguo, from Hunan, chewed betel nut all year round, his left face was cut off, and his mandible, left gum, part of his tongue and lymphatic system were also removed. Later, due to the compression of the visual nerve, his left eye was completely blind.
2019, National Health Commission clearly stated in the interpretation of the "Healthy Oral Action Plan (2019-2025)" that it is necessary to promote the people to develop healthy behaviors and lifestyles by intervening in high-risk behaviors such as long-term chewing betel nut. The action plan proposes that in areas where betel nut is chewed, focus on the harm of betel nut to oral health, and carry out targeted publicity and education and oral health examinations to promote early diagnosis and treatment of periodontal and oral mucosal lesions and other diseases.
"For betel nut, although there is no need to talk about cancer, it is generally not a problem to chew one or two occasionally, but because it is easy to addictive and has a relatively high risk, it is recommended to stay away from betel nut from a medical point of view." Xiang Xu said.
Betel nut has not been included in the food directory
Stop advertising betel nut
Although there are many betel nut brands sold on the market, if you want to ask, what "identity" is betel nut sold, I am afraid there is no clear answer yet. In the interview with
, many merchants and consumers felt that this was not a problem. "I sold and ate for so long, there is no doubt that the betel nut I chewed is a kind of food?!"
But in fact, the latest revised "Food Production License Classification Catalog" by the State Administration for Market Regulation in 2020 did not include "edible betel nut".
The experts interviewed by
believe that this means that betel nut is not considered "food" in the legal sense. A relevant person in charge of the Hainan Betel nut Association told reporters that in what kind of "identity" betel nut is currently sold, we need to consult the relevant regulatory authorities.
At the 2021 National People's Congress, a deputy in One Congress put forward "suggestions to regulate the development of Hunan's betel nut processing industry", hoping to set food safety standards for betel nut. In response, the National Health Commission replied that according to the Food Safety Law, food should be non-toxic and harmless, meet the nutritional requirements that should be present, and do not cause any acute, subacute or chronic harm to human health. "Our commission has not approved betel nut as a raw material for new food, and has not included it in the food drug quality catalog. Betel nut (fruit) should not formulate food safety standards."
It is understood that betel nut is currently only included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia for use as a medicinal material. It cannot be managed as food, which means that the food production license cannot be issued. The reporter searched with the keyword "betel nut" on the food license certificated enterprise information query platform of the State Administration for Market Regulation and found that the production qualifications of some betel nut enterprises in Hunan and Hainan are about to expire or have expired.Public information of
shows that Hunan has extended the invalid food production license of betel nut companies. After this move caused controversy, the official deleted the relevant information. The province also included the "Hunan Province Betel nut products Management Measures" in the 2021 Legislative Plan Research and Demonstration Project, in order to give betel nut a title of "local specialty products". Hainan has also adopted a similar approach to solve the "identity" problem of betel nut.
Once upon a time, advertisements about betel nuts were everywhere, from stations, convenience stores, billboards to short video platforms, variety shows, film and television dramas.
On March 7, 2019, Hunan Betel nut Food Industry Association issued a notice requiring all betel nut companies to stop all advertising in China from now on and must complete this work before March 15. On September 17, 2021, the State Administration of Radio and Television of issued a notice, deciding to stop using radio, television and online audio-visual programs to promote betel nuts and their products from now on.
reporters found that after the notice was released, the situation of using variety shows, online dramas and other promotional methods to promote betel nut has disappeared, but there are still users selling betel nuts and advertising on short video platforms, and some websites also have traces of betel nut advertisements.
Beijing Yinghe Law Firm lawyer Cai Xuan believes that relevant industry associations do not have the power and status of substantive supervision. If there is no administrative penalty power and the legal consequences that need to be borne cannot be clarified, and the ban on demanding the suspension of advertising will be difficult to implement.
Professor Liu Junhai believes that there are loopholes in the supervision of production and sales of betel nuts. For example, betel nuts are not sold as food, and only a small number of regions strictly follow relevant regulations for supervision. Due to the existence of regulatory blind spots, the illegal income is far higher than the illegal cost, which stimulates merchants' illegal production and sales.
professor at the School of Economics and Law of East China University of Political Science and Law told reporters that Advertising Law stipulates that advertisements must not contain false or misleading content, and must not deceive or mislead consumers. It is not allowed to promote their products to be healthy and healthy. If the manufacturer of betel nut products cannot provide data to prove that the claimed utility is true, it should be adjusted by the Advertising Law and regulated by the competent department. Advertising operators and advertisement publishers know or should know that they are false content and still design, produce, agent, and publish, they should be punished by the market supervision and administration department.
"As far as advertising publishing places are concerned, we cannot stop at radio, television and online audio-visual programs. The phenomenon of posting betel nut advertisements at will in offline public places should also be strengthened. The managers of public places or telecommunications business operators and Internet information service providers who know or should know should stop using their places or information transmission, publishing platforms, and sending and publishing illegal advertisements. Those who fail to stop will be punished by the market supervision department." Ren Chao said.
Improve the rules for legal formulation
Strictly regulate the betel nut industry
html On September 15, some media reported that Yiwu, Zhejiang and other places required stores to remove betel nut products. The Zhejiang Provincial Market Supervision Bureau later stated that this move aims to implement the management of betel nut products, "It is not that it is not that betel nut is not allowed to be sold, but that betel nut is not allowed to be sold in the name of food." htmlOn September 19, the Market Supervision Bureau of Yingshan County, Sichuan Province issued a statement through a WeChat official account stating that all business owners are not allowed to sell betel nuts and betel nut products under food packaging and labels; for those who sell betel nuts and betel nuts in food business premises, they will immediately contact the food business unit to remove the shelves. If there is any illegal act, they will be investigated and dealt with in accordance with the law.As of the time of publication, market supervision departments in many places have required food operators to remove betel nut and betel nut products on sale. However, the reporter noticed that in areas where betel nuts were issued a document to restrict the sales of betel nuts, betel nuts can still be retrieved through the takeaway platform, and most of the merchants sold are side dishes and supermarkets.
The experts interviewed believe that there are still many blind spots in the supervision of the betel nut industry, and the corresponding laws and regulations are not perfect.In comparison, tobacco and alcohol products that are both first-level carcinogens include Tobacco Monopoly Law , Alcohol Circulation Management Measures and other laws and regulations. E-cigarettes were also officially included in the tobacco system supervision in November last year, and the mandatory national standards will be implemented from October 1 this year.
In response to the current measures to implement the sales of betel nut products, the reporter recently called the Hunan Betel nut food industry association many times, but no one answered the answer. A relevant person in charge of the Hainan Betel nut Association told reporters that all the questions asked were subject to the "Notice of the Hainan Penang Association on the Development of Hainan Betel nut Industry in Recent Years" published on the association's WeChat official account on September 21.
notice stated that in recent years, Hainan Betel nut Association has actively promoted relevant enterprises and scientific research institutions to increase efforts to develop healthy betel nut gum without rough fibers, which does not harm the oral mucosa, and has low arecaline content. Phase research results have been achieved. The association recommends that relevant government departments establish and improve relevant laws, regulations and industry standards, and strengthen supervision of the entire industrial chain of betel nut industry.
Song Hui believes that publicity should be strengthened so that people can deeply understand the harm of chewing betel nut. "I have quit betel nut now, but my cheeks are much bigger. This process is very painful, just like smoking, there is withdrawal reaction , but when I think of the experiences and pictures of oral cancer patients, I have to persist no matter what."
In fact, some foreign countries have banned the transportation and sales of betel nuts in all aspects. Although some countries do not ban it, they require that warning labels must be clearly posted on the packaging when selling betel nuts.
reporter contacted a betel nut supplier in Hunan. The other party said that it is normal to pick up and ship goods from the factory at present. Their judgment is optimistic about how this industry will develop in the future: "This industry involves so many people and merchants, and there are farmers who grow betel nuts. It is impossible not to be allowed to sell them all at once."
In Liu Junhai's view, as the control policies continue to tighten, the betel nut industry should be managed from the source. For areas with more producers and manufacturers, it can be gradually explored and guided to engage in other industries and plant other products. At the same time, relevant departments should guide and compensate for orderly exit from the market.
Cai Xuan believes that the most urgent task is to issue unified management regulations. There are no unified regulations in various places on whether betel nut can be sold and what type of product betel nut belongs to, and the standards are also different. "Relevant departments should issue relevant regulations as soon as possible to ensure that the industry has laws to follow and regulate sales behavior."
Many interviewed experts suggested that considering the degree of harm to human health of betel nut products, they can be supervised in accordance with tobacco supervision methods, and franchise operations can be implemented. At the same time, in combination with the characteristics of market operations, relevant regulatory measures will be formulated in accordance with tobacco management methods, such as clarifying that betel nut should not be sold to minors, betel nut should not be sold around schools, and the packaging should be printed with a reminder that "long-term excessive chewing is harmful to oral health" is damaged.
In Ren Chao's view, the planting, processing and sales behind the betel nut industry have formed an industrial chain, and the interests of multiple parties should be fully considered, and it is not advisable to immediately ban the sale of them "one size fits all". Based on the current situation of the betel nut industry, we can learn from experience in the fields of tobacco supervision and regulate and restrict it while allowing it to develop. On the one hand, we recognize the objectivity and necessity of its existence, and allow it to develop if conditions permit; on the other hand, we must recognize the harm of eating betel nut and regulate and supervise the disorderly expanding betel nut industry from the aspects of production and operation.
The interviewed experts pointed out that due to its harm, stricter supervision of betel nuts is the general trend, but the betel nut industry is related to the jobs of many people and the survival of a large number of enterprises. How to properly handle various problems that may be encountered after strict regulations should also be fully considered. Comic/Li Xiaojun
Source: Rule of Law Daily
