Five Major Loopholes in the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (4) Blending Unknown Contents and Calling Them "Seasonings" or "Spices"? The Trick of Combined Labeling

Taiwan, China's "Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation" can no longer keep up with the "ever-changing" food chemical industry, and the regulations even contain many self-contradictory and absurd loopholes, allowing some unscrupulous operators to exploit legal gaps and, at the expense of public health, "legally" rake in exorbitant profits. Right now, civil society is pushing to amend the "Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation," which was recently placed on the Legislative Yuan's agenda, in the hope that the regulations can be made more complete and truly safeguard food safety. In response to the five major loopholes in the "Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation" that affect the safety of your and your family's daily diet, NewsMarket has produced a special series, hoping everyone will face the problem together and pay attention to the progress of the amendment. (To read the complete series, please click here)

Loophole4: A mishmash of all sorts labeled as "flavoring agents" and "spices"? The trick of combined labeling

Pick up an instant noodle packet at a braised snack stall or a bag of candy from a supermarket shelf, and look carefully at the food label on the back. Do you often wonder exactly what kind of "thing" is vaguely listed as "flavoring agent" or "spices"?

In most cases, what you heartily eat, called a flavoring agent or spice, is probably not "one" thing but "many"; and most importantly, labeling it this way is legal!

According toArticle 11-4 of the Enforcement Rules of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation:

(Food additives) that are flavoring agents (excluding sweeteners and caffeine), emulsifiers, leavening agents, enzymes, tofu coagulants, or glazing agents may be labeled by the name of their use; those that are spices may be labeled as spices

In other words, as long as the function of an additive falls under flavoring agents, emulsifiers, leavening agents, enzymes, tofu coagulants, or glazing agents, it can be collectively referred to by its function; and if its function is a spice, it can be called a spice.

This produces a rather vague result. For example, if an operator uses multiple additives as a compound seasoning, "according to the law" he only needs to label the three words "flavoring agent," without telling consumers the detailed ingredients; and because compound additives do not require inspection and registration, the health authorities often do not know which ingredients are contained in them either.

A huge number of spice chemicals with no supporting regulation whatsoever

The spice part is an even bigger loophole.

Zheng Mingfan, who currently works in the spice industry, explains that compared with foreign countries, which have a professionally trained perfumer system and operators capable of self-discipline, and which further strictly distinguish natural (Natural), natural identical (Natural Identical) and artificial (Artificial), as well as different spice grades for perfumes, foods and daily necessities; by contrast, Taiwan, China, since abolishing the inspection and registration of compound food additives and edible spices, has had no corresponding supporting measures to help operators manage themselves, so that the management of edible spices in Taiwan, China has been "put into reverse."

In fact, most edible spices are chemical substances and have the drawback of not keeping well, while oily spices must have petrochemical solvents added. After edible spices were exempted from inspection and registration, the safety and dosage issues of petrochemical solvents in edible spices became difficult to monitor, and they are used in large quantities in food.

Mr. Zheng opened a small glass bottle and shook it slightly, releasing a fresh lemon scent, and explained, "Judging purely by the lemon smell, it is hard to tell whether this jar of chemical substances is a food additive or something used to produce insecticides," and most of the common spices that can produce various aromas do not necessarily have formulas that fall under food additives, so they are not subject to regulations on scope of use and limits, let alone the fact that many are industrial-grade raw materials.

As a result, many operators, disregarding concentration and effective dosage, arbitrarily blend, mix and repackage chemical spices, unaware of the chemical changes or toxicity produced in the process, and downstream operators and consumers suffer along with them. "The drugs that enter the human body are chemicals and are strictly regulated," Zheng Mingfan stresses, "the food additives and spices that are likewise eaten are also chemicals, yet regulation is very loose!"

The trick of combined labeling, and the some spice operators who are not subject to food additive regulation, have become another major loophole in the food safety of the people of Taiwan, China.

Note: Article 11 of the Enforcement Rules of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation

The labeling of food additives under Article 17, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 3 of this Act shall be handled in accordance with the following provisions:

(omitted)

4. Those that are flavoring agents (excluding sweeteners and caffeine), emulsifiers, leavening agents, enzymes, tofu

coagulants, or glazing agents may be labeled by the name of their use; those that are spices may be labeled as spices

thereof; those that are natural spices may be labeled as natural spices.