The Food and Drug Administration announced that sulfur dioxide will be added as a food additive, the residue of sauerkraut will be relaxed by three times, and the standard of gold needle will remain unchanged.

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The Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 21st that the "scope of use and limits and specifications of Food Additives" was revised to add sulfur dioxide as a food additive, and the residue standard for gold needles was maintained below 4.0g/kg, while the sulfur dioxide residues in pickled vegetables and fermented vegetables, such as kimchi and sauerkraut, were adjusted from 0.03g/kg to less than 0.10 g/kg.

Pan Zhikuan, head of the Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, explains that this is because the Farmers' Association applies that only 0.03g/kg of sulfur dioxide is not enough, the effect is not good, vegetables are prone to corruption, cannot be kept for a long time, and the color is also easy to change, resulting in low willingness of consumers to buy. After a safety assessment, the Food and Drug Administration determined that it had no impact on human safety before changing the standard.

FDA: bleach already produces sulfur dioxide. Just put the name on it.

According to the scope of use and limits and specifications of Food Additives, currently legally used bleaching agents include potassium sulfite, sodium sulfite, sodium sulfite (anhydrous), sodium bisulfite, low sodium sulfite, potassium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite and sodium bisulfite. These bleaches are used for anticorrosion, bleaching, bright colors and other uses, added to food and chemically produced sulfur dioxide.

The above bleaching agents are applicable to foods such as dried products of golden needles, dried apricots, white raisins, animal glue, dehydrated vegetables, dehydrated fruits, molasses and molasses, edible cassava starch, pickled vegetables, fermented vegetables, sugar-stained fruits, shrimp, shellfish, shellfish, etc.

In the past, gold needles were often found to have excessive sulfur dioxide. This move by the Food and Drug Administration is considered to be relaxed and legalized. Pan Zhikuan stressed: "sulfur dioxide as a food additive and exceeding the standard are two different things." Pan said that these legally used bleaching agents will become sulfur dioxide residue in food after action. "it is already stipulated that it can be used, and there are also standards for sulfur dioxide residue limits, but the country does not list sulfur dioxide on food additives." but the fact is that the use of these sulfides will produce sulfur dioxide. "

Pan explained that in the case of gold needles, the standard has not been relaxed, the residue standard is also below 4.0g/kg, and the scope of use of sulfur dioxide and the limit are the same as in the past.

How can sulfur dioxide be used as a food additive?

Wei Renting, deputy head of the Food Section of the Food and Drug Administration, also explained that in the past, the gold needle used solid sulfite to add water to become a sulfite solution, and the gold needle was soaked in sulfite solution for bleaching purposes. After the intermediate action, sulfur dioxide was produced and remained in the gold needle, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare also set a standard for sulfur dioxide residue.

Wei said that by listing sulfur dioxide as a food additive, we can take advantage of the fact that the gas sulfur dioxide is soluble in water and add sulfur dioxide to the liquid to dissolve in water, which is similar to that of sodium sulfite in the past, and the residue standard is also the same as in the past. At present, no one has used this practice in China, but there are international examples.

Pan further explained that according to the codex (International Codex Alimentarius Commission) and other advanced countries, such as the United States and the European Union, sulfur dioxide is listed as an additive, and products imported from Taiwan are also labeled as sulfur dioxide. "We are just listing the names of sulfur dioxide that can be used." Pan also points out that these imported foods all use sulfur dioxide, but because the name of sulfur dioxide is not listed in the regulations, "as a result, these products labeled with sulfur dioxide violate the regulations and cannot be imported. Taiwan is inconsistent with international standards."

The farmers' association demanded that the standard of sauerkraut be relaxed.

In response to questions about the relaxation of residue standards, Pan stressed that sulfur dioxide testing standards are the same, as far as gold needles are concerned, sulfur dioxide residue standards are also below 4.0g/kg. As for sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented vegetables, etc., sulfur dioxide residues are adjusted from 0.03g/kg to below 0.10g/kg. Pan explained that this is because farmers' associations apply, farmers' associations reflect that 0.03g/kg is not enough, the effect is not good, vegetables are prone to corruption, cannot be kept for a long time, and the color is also easy to change, resulting in low willingness of consumers to buy. After a safety assessment, the Food and Drug Administration determined that it had no impact on human safety before changing the standard.

Consumer Foundation: if you want to relax, you must come up with scientific data.

However, you Kaixiong, chairman of the Consumer Foundation, points out that the Food and Drug Administration has made relaxed amendments with reference to EU standards, but the consumption habits and food use of Chinese people are different from those of other countries. "Taiwanese manufacturers use sulfur dioxide to increase their appearance, and the food looks good. Consumers are more willing to buy, but is there the same situation abroad? Therefore, it is open to question whether it is appropriate to refer to foreign standards. "

You said that in the inspection of goods sold in the market, the inspection efforts have been increased these days, and the situation of sulfur dioxide exceeding the standard has been improved. "when there is some improvement, the standards have been relaxed again, which has turned the past efforts to return to the original point."

"even if the gold needle residue standard is the same, the rest of the fermented vegetables are still relaxed." You pointed out that he is still very worried about the harm of sulfur dioxide to the health. If you want to relax the standards, you should first obtain scientific verification and come up with specific scientific data. "it's not just what foreign standards are, just relax them." You stressed that from the perspective of consumer food health and safety, we should consider whether these bleaches must be added, and if necessary, the content limit should be reduced to a minimum.

Doctor: no objection to the addition of sulfur dioxide. The key point is not to overdo it.

"the Food and Drug Administration only rectifies the name of sulphur dioxide, and the residue standard is basically the same." Yan Zonghai, director of the Clinical Toxicology Center of Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, said that he has no objection to the inclusion of sulfur dioxide as a food additive, but sulfur dioxide residues must not be excessive.

Yan pointed out that if sulfur dioxide is excessive, people eating the food will stimulate the gastrointestinal tract and cause nausea. At the same time, sulfur dioxide is also a source of allergies, and people who are physically sensitive may cause asthma attacks and difficulty breathing.

What does it mean not to overdo it? Yan explained that according to the standard of sulfur dioxide ADI (allowable daily intake per person), each kilogram of body weight per day should not exceed 0.7mg, representing 60 kilograms of adults, and one day should not eat sulfur dioxide exceeding 42mg.

Yan says that no matter how much residue is ordered, it is still necessary to return to theory. "however, from the standpoint of doctors, although they are legal food additives, they still hope that the industry will use less." The lower the residue set by the competent authority, the better, and many processed food residues exceed the standard. It is hoped that health units will strengthen inspection and inspection.

However, according to the ADI (allowable daily intake per person) standard, according to the gold needle sulfur dioxide residue standard 4.0g/kg, 60 kg of adults eating about 10 grams of gold needle is excessive. Is this standard too lenient?. Pan explained that the amount of gold needle in a pot of gold needle sparerib soup will not exceed 10 grams, and people should not eat too much, and after the gold needle is soaked in water, sulfur dioxide will also dissolve in water, and the content will be further reduced.

It is recommended to open the lid of the pot when rinsing in water.

Yan also suggested that if people are worried about eating sulfur dioxide because bleach is water-soluble, for example, if you buy a gold needle, you can soak it in water for half an hour and then rinse it, and after putting it into the pot, you can also open the lid of the pot and let the sulfur dioxide volatilize; and don't buy gold needles with bright colors and unnatural taste.

The Food and Drug Administration announced on the 21st that sulfur dioxide is used as a food additive, and there is a 60-day notice period to receive comments and collect opinions from all walks of life. The Food and Drug Administration said that the health authorities continue to monitor the food additives on the market, and if they find any trade that violates the scope of use and limits and specifications of food additives, in accordance with Article 18, paragraph 1, of the Food Safety and Hygiene Administration Law, a fine of NT $30, 000 to NT $3 million shall be imposed in accordance with Article 47 of the same Law.

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