China slaps ban on locally made chemical-tainted food additives
Under a circular issued on June 11, the food and drug regulator ordered catering firms to immediately stop purchasing or using the banned products, which its inspectors found were contaminated with DEHP.
DEHP – a commonly used abbreviation for Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate – is a plasticizer that has been found to cause hormonal malfunctions in children if consumed in large doses.
The eight products that have been banned include five from companies based in South China’s Guangdong Province: a guava flavouring additive made by Guangzhou Meiyi Flavors & Fragrances Co. Ltd.; green tea powder, liquid butter oil and egg milk-flavoured oil made by Jiangmen Goody's Food Co. Ltd.; and a bread yeast improver produced by Jiangmen Jhan Wang Food Co. Ltd.
In addition, the regulator also banned osmanthus, green tea and almond flavouring additives produced by a food additive manufacturer based in the city of Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang Province.
None of the four companies returned calls for comment prior to deadline.
Via the circular, the regulator also asked for tighter inspection efforts from food safety workers at local levels in order to prevent local catering firms from purchasing or using the above-mentioned eight products.
The regulator also asked catering firms to seal immediately and recall these listed products in case they have already purchased them.
“We have also asked local food safety inspection agencies to file daily reports on any new findings in relation to the eight food additives that have been mentioned in the circular issued on June 11,” a spokesperson for the regulator said.
The circular came right after the food regulator also suspended on June 10 the import of 948 food products from Taiwan to the Chinese mainland that were deemed to be contaminated by DEHP. These products included beverages, food products and food additives produced by 280 companies based within Taiwan.
The ban was a result of Taiwan's health department announcing mid-May that it had found food additive supplier Yu Shen Chemical Co. to have illegally added DEHP in clouding agents and sold toxic agents to a number of food and beverage producers.
The resulting food scare has ravaged the island nation’s beverage and food industry since then, with the toxic substance being found in many products sold locally and overseas.
On June 14, the Center for Food Safety of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government also issued a ban on the import and supply of DrinkaZine Energy Watt Sports Drink, manufactured by Tai Hwa Oil Industrial, due to DEHP plasticizer exceeding the set standards.
