"Zero Additive" is prohibited! The new national food safety standard is here, what does it mean to us?

Recently, the National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation announced 59 national food safety standards and amendments. What particularly attracted the attention of consumers was that it was clearly stated that pre-packaged foods are no longer allowed to use terms such as "zero additives" and "no additives" to place special emphasis on food ingredients.

01 What does it mean that the terms “zero additives” and “no additives” are banned in pre-packaged foods?

Food is a trusted product, and consumers often have difficulty judging its quality intuitively when purchasing it, and need to make purchases based on brand and label information. This has also led to many food companies and manufacturers abusing "zero additives" and "no additives" as marketing tools to attract consumers to buy.

In fact, "no addition" is a description of the production process and does not necessarily mean that the content of ingredients or components in the final food product is completely zero. For example, a yogurt claims to have "no addition" of sucrose, but in fact, sucrose is just one of many added sugars. Other sugars or sweeteners such as fructose and syrup may actually be added. Such publicity can easily mislead consumers into thinking that it contains no sugar at all and consuming excessive amounts, which can affect their health.

This new regulation is designed to allow consumers to correctly understand food label information, choose food scientifically through ingredient lists and nutritional information tables, and avoid consumers blindly pursuing "zero additives" while ignoring the true attributes of the product. At the same time, it also urges companies to focus on improving product quality and health functions, thereby promoting the long-term development of the food industry.

02 “Zero additives” does not equal safety and health, food labels need to be more rational

Food additives are indispensable in the modern food industry. Properly used preservatives can effectively inhibit harmful microorganisms such as botulism and aflatoxin, and their safety has been strictly evaluated. For example, soybean oil and peanut oil, which we often eat, are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which are easily oxidized and rancid, causing the quality of the oil to deteriorate. The free radicals produced can also harm human health. The added antioxidants can effectively delay the free radical damage caused by oil rancidity; for example, the coagulant used in brine to make tofu and the colorant used to improve the color of food are also food additives.

The purpose of food additives is to improve the quality, color, aroma, taste and preservation of food. Scientific use of food additives will not cause harm to the human body, and "zero additives" means not adding certain additives. In short, it is not wrong for consumers to pursue "pure natural" and "zero additives" foods, but they must also be rational. The standardized use of food additives will not make food unsafe. What is really harmful is the illegal use and excessive use of additives, as well as the illegal use of illegal additives such as Sudan red and melamine.

03 In daily life, how do we learn to read food labels or ingredient lists?

First of all, we need to distinguish between pre-packaged food and agricultural products . All pre-packaged foods have product labels and unique SC food production license numbers. We should try to buy products from manufacturers with better management levels, such as those that have passed ISO9000, ISO22000, HACCP and other certifications. Generally, such information can be found on the product labels. Such manufacturers have better control over food ingredients, processing technology, and food quality and safety.

Secondly, learn to read product labels . The product name reflects the true attributes of the food. For example, pure cow's milk, formula milk, fermented milk, etc. are dairy products, while milk-containing beverages, lactic acid bacteria beverages, etc. are milk beverages. You can buy them according to your needs. The ingredient list shows the proportion of food ingredients. The closer the ingredient is to the front in the ingredient list, the higher the proportion of the ingredient. For example, when buying whole grain bread, you can choose the category with the whole grain ingredient at the front of the ingredient list. From the perspective of nutrition and health, the risk of "three highs" is caused by the intake of high salt, high sugar, and high unsaturated fatty acids. Long-term and excessive consumption increases the risk of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high blood lipids.

The newly released national food safety standard "General Rules for Nutrition Labeling of Pre-packaged Foods" expands the range of nutrients that must be labeled from "1+4", namely energy and protein, fat, carbohydrates, and sodium, to "1+6". The two added items are sugar and saturated fat. People with chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity can choose less or no foods with high sugar and saturated fat content.

04 What other new highlights of this new standard are worthy of consumers’ attention?

There are some aspects of the "new national standard" for food that deserve consumers' attention.

First, it is forbidden to add reconstituted milk to sterilized milk . Sterilized milk is a type of liquid milk product commonly used by the people, and reconstituted milk is an emulsion made by drying milk into milk powder and then adding a certain amount of water or milk. It is mainly used in yogurt products. Reconstituted milk is used as a raw material for sterilized milk and is repeatedly treated at high temperatures, which will cause the loss of active nutrients in the milk. Therefore, the nutritional value and taste of products directly processed from fresh milk are higher than those of reconstituted milk.

Second, the labeling of food production dates is more intuitive . I believe that many people have encountered the dilemma of not being able to find the production date on the label when buying food. The new standard stipulates that the production date and shelf life expiration date must be marked in a prominent position on the label. Not only is it easier to find on the label, but the shelf life information is more intuitive, and consumers no longer need to calculate the shelf life expiration date based on the production date and shelf life. At the same time, food producers can voluntarily mark the "consumption shelf life" of pre-packaged foods, so that consumers can rationally choose the purchase amount based on consumption.

Third, mandatory labeling of allergenic substances . The new standard requires labeling of allergenic substances, which will be more friendly to people with a history of food allergies.

Author: Wang Guoyi, Associate Professor of Beijing University of Technology, Postdoctoral Fellow in Nutrition and Food Safety of China Agricultural University, Chairman of the Elderly Food and Health Committee of Beijing Food Society

Planning: Yan Dong

Produced by: Science Popularization China

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