Recently, the State Administration of Market Supervision organized food safety supervision and sampling inspection, sampling 652 batches of samples of 29 major categories of food such as grain processing products, catering foods, edible agricultural products, etc., and detected 13 batches of samples of 9 major categories of food that were unqualified. The main problems found were contamination of organic pollutants, food additives that did not match the values indicated on the label, and quality indicators that did not meet the standards.
1 batch of "ancestral name" brand stinky tofu was detected as unqualified as preservatives
According to the notice of the State Administration for Market Regulation on the unqualified sampling of 13 batches of food, the zuming stinky tofu (spicy taste) (production date march 24, 2021, specification 100g/bag) produced by Zuming Bean Products Co., Ltd. in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, was found by China Light Food Inspection and Certification Co., Ltd. that the detection value of propionic acid and its sodium salt and calcium salt (in terms of propionic acid) did not meet the requirements of product label labeling. Zhejiang Hangzhou Zuming Soy Products Co., Ltd. raised objections to the basis of the judgment, and the Zhejiang Provincial Market Supervision Bureau did not recognize the objections raised by it after verification.
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Image source: State Administration for Market Regulation
It is understood that the reason for the unqualified products in this batch is that the food additives do not match the label values. In this sampling test, it was detected that the batch of products contained propionic acid and its sodium salt, calcium salt (in terms of propionic acid), the content was 0.976g/kg, although the detection value met the provisions of the national food safety standards, but its outer packaging showed that this product did not add any preservatives.
It is worth noting that in an online flagship store of Zuming Food, many products, including Zuming stinky tofu, are identified on the detail page without preservatives.
Zuming stinky tofu nominally does not add preservatives (Image source: Zuming Food flagship store)
Zuming Soybean Products Co., Ltd. official website shows that the company was established in 2000, is a collection of research and development, production, sales in one of the large-scale soy products production enterprises, the company has won the agricultural industrialization of the national key leading enterprises, the national agricultural products processing demonstration enterprises, Zhejiang Agricultural Leading Enterprises and Zhejiang Province Science and Technology Agricultural Leading Enterprises title, in January this year listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
What is propionic acid and its sodium salts, calcium salts (in terms of propionic acid)?
Propionic acid and its sodium salts, calcium salts (in terms of propionic acid) are one of the commonly used preservatives in food production, which can effectively inhibit Bacillus subtilis, potato bacillus and bacteria, and have basically no effect on the growth of yeast. The National Standard for Food Safety The Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB 2760-2014) stipulates that the maximum use of soy products is 2.5g/kg. The detection value of propionic acid and its sodium salt and calcium salt (in terms of propionic acid) in this batch of products meets the provisions of the national standard for food safety, but because its packaging label clearly states that "this product does not add any preservatives", it does not meet the requirements of product label labeling.
The reason why propionic acid and its sodium salt and calcium salt (in terms of propionic acid) are unqualified in this product may be related to the insufficient understanding of article 3.4 of the "National Standard for Food Safety, General Principles for Prepackaged Food Labeling" (GB 7718-2011) that "should be true and accurate, and shall not be introduced in false, exaggerated, misleading or deceptive words, graphics, etc." The product label information fails to truly and accurately reflect the actual situation of food.
In this spot check, on November 17, the relevant personnel of Zuming Soy Products Co., Ltd. told the "China Food Safety Network" that the relevant problems are currently being dealt with, the products that can be recalled have been recalled, and the after-sales work will be done, and the follow-up will be further developed and improved on the product, and some instructions will be made on the packaging.
The relevant personnel also said that the product packaging wrote that no preservatives were added, and the actual detection of propionic acid and its sodium salt, calcium salt (in terms of propionic acid) content of 0.976g/ kg, which is not actively added during production, but stinky tofu in the fermentation process to produce a certain amount of sodium salt, calcium salt, the detection content is lower than the maximum amount of soy products used 2.5g / kg, is in line with national standards, basically eating will not have an impact on the body.
For the unqualified food found in this sampling inspection, the State Administration for Market Supervision has instructed the provincial market supervision departments to immediately organize verification and disposal, find out the flow of products, and urge enterprises to take measures such as removing and recalling unqualified products from the shelves to control risks; strictly deal with violations of laws and regulations in accordance with the law; and timely disclose the risk prevention and control measures and verification and disposal taken by enterprises to the public, and report to the General Administration.