Taipei City Health Department tests bulk bean and rice wet products; high rate of preservative non-compliance

General News Jan 1, 1970By Emily Carter 0 views

In the heat of midsummer, food spoils easily, and to keep food fresh, vendors add preservatives. However, inspections by the Taipei City Health Department found that commercially sold bowl rice cakes (wan gao), radish cakes, rice noodles (mi tai mu), tofu, shredded dried tofu, and soy milk tested positive for sorbic acid, benzoic acid, or hydrogen peroxide. The Health Department stated that different foods and different preservatives have different usage regulations, and vendors should strengthen self-management and must not use them in excess or illegally.

In June, the Health Department conducted spot checks on 101 soy products sold at traditional markets, street vendors, supermarkets, hypermarkets, and restaurants, and found that 11 items did not comply with regulations, accounting for 10.9%, with dried tofu products making up the highest proportion (22%).

The Health Department stated that hydrogen peroxide, commonly known as "double oxygen water," has bleaching and preservative functions and is often used in the processing of fish meat products such as fish balls, fish cakes, and tempura, as well as soy products such as tofu and dried tofu, but it must not be detected in the final product. If the public consumes too much, symptoms such as headache and vomiting may occur, along with concerns about corrosion of the intestinal tract.

Benzoic acid, commonly known as "benzoin acid," is also a preservative and can be used in soy products other than "tofu and soy milk products," such as dried tofu, shredded dried tofu, tofu skin, and vegetarian chicken, but is limited to 0.6g/kg or below.

Sorbic acid, also known as "mountain pear acid," in the rice wet product category, only nian gao, radish cake, and fen guo may have 1g/kg of sorbic acid added; other products may not have preservatives or sterilizing agents added; if consumed in excess, it can cause abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and even damage to the liver and kidneys.

The Taipei City Health Department emphasized that different types of food have different food additive regulations, and vendors should use food additives legally; at the same time, during the inspection process, 4 vendors were found unable to provide clear sources, and will be fined in accordance with the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (referred to as the Food Safety Act). As for some products originating from other counties and cities, they have also been transferred to other county and city health departments for investigation.

The Taipei City Health Department advises the public to pay attention when purchasing to whether the product packaging is intact and whether the product is sold refrigerated; especially rice wet products are prone to microbial growth at room temperature and should be kept refrigerated at below 7 degrees Celsius as much as possible. Since most preservatives are water-soluble, the Health Department suggests that the public can soak them in clean water for about 40 minutes to release the preservatives, or open the pot lid during cooking to allow them to evaporate and reduce residues.

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Taipei City Health Department tests bulk bean and rice wet products; high rate of preservative non-compliance

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