Recently, the food additive “dehydroacetic acid and its sodium salt” (sodium dehydroacetate) in China will usher in a wide range of banned news, in microblogging and other major platforms to cause netizens hot discussion.
According to the National Food Safety Standards Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB 2760-2024) issued by the National Health Commission in March this year, the regulations on the use of dehydroacetic acid and its sodium salt in starch products, bread, pastries, baked food fillings, and other food products have been deleted, and the maximum use level in pickled vegetables has also been adjusted from 1g/kg to 0.3g/kg. The new standard will come into effect on February 8, 2025.
Industry experts analysed that there were usually four reasons for the adjustment of a food additive standard, firstly, new scientific research evidence found that the safety of a certain food additive might be at risk, secondly, because of the change in the amount of consumption in the dietary structure of the consumers, thirdly, the food additive was no longer technically necessary, and fourthly, because of the consumer's anxiety about a certain food additive, and a re-evaluation might also be considered in order to respond to public concerns.
‘Sodium dehydroacetate is a food mould and preservative additive recognised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as a low-toxicity and highly effective broad-spectrum preservative, specifically in terms of the type of additive. It can better inhibit bacteria, moulds and yeasts to avoid moulds. Compared to preservatives such as sodium benzoate, calcium propionate and potassium sorbate, which generally require an acidic environment for maximum effect, sodium dehydroacetate has a much wider range of applicability, and its bacterial inhibition effect is hardly affected by acidity and alkalinity, and it performs excellently in the pH range of 4 to 8.’ October 6, China Agricultural University, Food Science and Nutrition Engineering Associate Professor Zhu Yi told the People's Daily Health Client reporter, according to the implementation of China's policy, is gradually restricting the use of sodium dehydroacetate food categories, but not all prohibited the use of baked goods in the future is not allowed to use, for pickled vegetables and other foods, you can continue to use the amount of reasonable within the scope of the new strict limitations. This also takes into account the large increase in consumption of bakery products.
‘China's standards for the use of food additives strictly follow international food safety guidelines and are updated in due course with the evolution of standards in developed countries and the continuous emergence of the latest scientific research results, as well as changes in the domestic food consumption structure. The adjustments made to sodium dehydroacetate this time are aimed at ensuring that China's food safety management system is improved in tandem with advanced international standards.’ Zhu Yi said.
The main reason for the adjustment of sodium dehydroacetate is that this revision of the standard for sodium dehydroacetate is a comprehensive consideration for the protection of public health, compliance with international trends, updating of food safety standards and reduction of health risks, which will help to enhance the health of food and promote the food industry to move towards green and sustainable development.
Zhu Yi also said that the U.S. FDA at the end of last year withdrew some of the previous permission for the use of sodium dehydroacetate in food, currently in Japan and South Korea, sodium dehydroacetate can only be used as a preservative for butter, cheese, margarine and other foods, and the maximum serving size can not exceed 0.5 grams per kilogram, in the U.S., dehydroacetic acid can only be used for cutting or peeling pumpkin.
Zhu Yi suggested that consumers who are anxious in the six months can check the ingredient list when buying food, and of course companies should actively upgrade and iterate during the buffer period. ‘Food preservation is a systematic project, preservatives are just one of the lower-cost methods, and companies can achieve preservation through technological advances.’
Post time: Oct-16-2024