Red tea too fragrant, runbing too white, be careful - EPA adds 16 new substances as toxic chemicals | Banned for use as food additives

Text / Upstream and Downstream reporter Lin Peijun

To effectively block non-food chemical substances from entering the food chain, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) announced today (the 28th) that it will launch joint inspections targeting 13 chemical substances listed as toxic chemicals last year, including "malachite green" and "maleic acid." It also newly announced 16 chemical substances as Category 4 toxic chemicals, including 14 common colorants with food safety risks, such as "Sudan Red," as well as 2 persistent organic pollutants listed for control with reference to international conventions.

13 toxic chemicals announced last year - commonly found in aquatic products, red tea, and candy

In the past, operators would use "Rhodamine B" on red turtle cakes, tangyuan, candy, yellow radish, and noodles to enhance food color; they would also add "alpha-benzopyranone" (coumarin) to increase the aroma of red tea beverages; and add "malachite green" to maintain the survival rate of aquatic products such as fish, shrimp, and crabs. However, the Toxic and Chemical Substances Bureau (hereinafter referred to as the "Chemical Bureau") announced on September 26, Year 106 of the Republic of China that 13 chemical substances including Rhodamine B (as shown in Table 1 below) are toxic chemical substances, and listed them as key inspection targets for this year.