How can illegal food additives be eliminated? Strengthening regulatory accountability is key
According to reports, the China Food and Drug Administration recently issued a notice requiring that illegal addition of non-edible substances such as poppy shells and industrial gelatin be made an important part of routine supervision and inspection of the catering service sector, and that surprise inspections be strengthened at key establishments such as hot pot restaurants, barbecue restaurants and snack shops, as well as in catering consumption gathering areas such as food streets and areas around schools.
Many netizens said that the repeated incidents of adding non-edible substances such as poppy shells and industrial gelatin to food stem both from unscrupulous merchants being blinded by greed for profit and from backward regulatory methods and an imperfect regulatory system. For this reason, it is necessary to rethink the existing regulatory system and standards, implement the food safety responsibility system, and form a three-dimensional, fully covered law enforcement and regulatory framework.
Hidden tricks in "delicious" food
Netizen "Junling Chongshan" said that turning clear water into mutton soup and making hot pot and malatang addictive once eaten are all caused by illegal food additives. Unscrupulous merchants openly sell and use food additives such as flavoring powder in violation of regulations, and some even add the illegal ingredient poppy shells to food seasonings, arousing strong condemnation from netizens.
Netizen "Liao Daojun A" said that long-term consumption of food with added poppy shells will produce a certain dependence, causing symptoms such as feeling cold, breaking out in cold sweats, fatigue, and sallow, thin appearance; in severe cases, it may damage the nervous system and digestive system, and may even cause symptoms such as endocrine disorders.
Netizen "Chenxing Shanyao" said that adding poppy shells to food is illegal and must carry responsibility; when the benefits of obeying the law are less than the cost of breaking it, and when supervision is lacking, the law is very difficult to obey.
Where do poppy shells and industrial gelatin come from? Some netizens believe that loopholes may exist at every stage, from poppy cultivation to the transportation and sale of poppy shells, and then to unscrupulous merchants using them to make food. Backward regulatory methods and an imperfect regulatory system are reasons that cannot be ignored.
Implementing the regulatory responsibility system
Netizen "Wang Zhang" said that ensuring "safety on the tip of the tongue" is a major livelihood issue and also a bottom-line requirement. Poppy shells travel from the fields to the dining table, passing through multiple stages such as production, processing and sales along the way. The fact that they can now be placed openly in front of diners not only shows how difficult rectification is, but also interrogates the effectiveness of market supervision. Regarding the widespread chaos of illegal addition, it is necessary to dig deep along the line and investigate to the end. Only by using the most rigorous standards, the strictest supervision, the most severe penalties and the most serious accountability, accelerating the establishment of a scientific and complete food safety governance system, and truly achieving "zero tolerance" at every stage, can people have a clean and reassuring dining table.
Netizen "Xiaoming" said that food safety incidents continue despite repeated prohibitions, and some say this is inevitable at this stage of economic and social development and that great order will follow great chaos. That is wrong. It is necessary to rethink the problems in the domestic regulatory system and standards, and rethink the strength of our supervision and the implementation of responsibilities. The fundamental solution is to establish a system in which local Party committees and governments take overall responsibility, the food and drug administration takes the lead, and all functional law enforcement agencies are incorporated into the local regulatory system, stop pursuing vertical management, and form a mutually connected, three-dimensional, fully covered law enforcement and regulatory framework.