On November 21, the Market Supervision Administration of Wusheng County, Guang'an City, Sichuan Province, issued the "Notice on Removing and Stopping the Sale of Betel Nut Products in the Whole County", requiring food business operators in the county to stop selling betel nut products illegally. As a result, Wusheng County has become the latest county-level administrative unit in China to reaffirm the ban on the sale of betel nut products. Since the beginning of this year, market supervision authorities in many provinces, including Sichuan and Zhejiang, have required betel nut products to be banned from being sold as food in their jurisdictions.
Public information shows that as early as 2003, the International Center for Research on Cancer under the World Health Organization has identified betel nut as a first-class carcinogen, and in the list of first-level carcinogens released by WHO in 2017, betel nut is listed alongside arsenic and aflatoxin, and the familiar Sudan red is only a tertiary carcinogen.
Authoritative data obtained by upstream news (email: [email protected]) reporters show that from 2011 to 2018, the output value of China's betel nut industry rose from 55.8 billion yuan to 78.1 billion yuan, and it continues to rise, and professionals estimate that this figure has exceeded 100 billion yuan so far. In the face of this huge market, will the embargo notices reiterated by local regulators have disastrous consequences? Where will the betel nut industry go?
▲On November 21, the Wusheng County Municipal Supervision Bureau in Sichuan issued a warning to stop selling betel nuts. Image source: Wusheng County Market Supervision Bureau
The ban on betel nut maps continues to expand
On November 21, a notice from the Market Supervision Bureau of Wusheng County, Guang'an City, Sichuan Province, made Wusheng County the latest county-level administrative district in China to ban the sale of betel nuts in the form of food. The Wusheng County Market Supervision Administration issued the "Warning on Removing and Stopping the Sale of Betel Nut Products in the County", pointing out that according to the Food Safety Law and the Notice on Matters Related to the Supervision of Betel Nut Products issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation, "starting from the original intention of strengthening food safety supervision in Wusheng County and safeguarding the health of the general public", all food business operators in Wusheng County should immediately clean up and rectify, stop the illegal sale of betel nut products, including online and offline channels, and resolutely remove betel nut products illegally operated online.
Regarding the reasons for the ban on the sale of betel nut, the Wusheng County Market Supervision Bureau mentioned that none of the betel nut products currently sold in the market have obtained a legal and valid food production license, but some operators still sell them as food, which is suspected of violating the relevant provisions of the Food Safety Law, and from December 1, 2022, the bureau will seriously deal with those who still sell betel nut products illegally in accordance with the law.
Upstream news reporters combed and found that since September this year, market supervision departments in many places in Sichuan Province have issued relevant reminders and warnings on the suspension of the sale of betel nuts.
On July 29, the Sichuan Guangyuan Municipal Administration for Market Supervision replied to the "Suggestions on Eliminating the Harm of Betel Nut Products to Minors" that the bureau not only used special actions to crack down on betel nut sales, but also included the elimination of betel nut on minors into regular supervision, urging merchants to post warning signs such as "It is forbidden to sell betel nuts to minors", "betel nut products are no longer sold as food" and "Please buy betel nut products with caution" in conspicuous positions in stores.
On September 16, the Huaqiao Market Supervision Institute of Xinjin District, Chengdu City carried out a special inventory of betel nut products, and carried out key inspections around the campus, supermarkets, convenience stores, etc. Law enforcement officers conducted in-depth investigations into illegal sales of betel nuts, and also took the initiative to publicize and educate on the dangers of betel nuts and relevant regulations, and prohibited food business units from selling betel nut products.
On September 19, the Market Supervision Bureau of Yingshan County, Nanchong City, Sichuan Province, issued a document requiring all business owners not to sell betel nuts and betel nut products marked by food packaging and labels; For those who sell betel nuts and betel nut products in food business premises, immediately contact the food business unit to remove them, and if there is any illegal behavior, they will be investigated and dealt with according to law.
Chen Liangqiu, associate researcher of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, also mentioned in his paper "Mainland betel nut cultivation and industrial development status", "betel nut fruit is an important commonly used medicinal material in the mainland, and betel nut seed kernel is one of the four major southern medicines in the mainland. Betel nut has a bitter, bitter and warm taste, and belongs to the stomach and large intestine, and has the effects of insecticide, accumulation, qi, water, and malaria. ”
Why do market regulators in many places in Sichuan ban the sale of betel nut products with regulations such as "food business operators are not allowed to sell betel nut products with food packaging and labeling"? Guo Gang, director of Sichuan Fangce Law Firm, told upstream news reporters that betel nut products include non-edible purposes such as medicinal purposes in addition to our common edible betel nut, "This time it is not completely banned but banned as food, because betel nut is not in the food production license catalog, but it can still be sold for non-edible purposes." ”
Upstream news reporters visited Chengdu and found that a certain brand of betel nut food shelves were placed in front of many side food stores, and there were various betel nut foods priced at 20 yuan to 50 yuan on the shelves. "I have seen the notice banning sales on the Internet, but no one has come to tell us that we can't sell, and there are many people who often come to buy, so I didn't remove it, wait for the notice." Mr. Zheng, a restaurant near the Shuinian River in Chengdu, told upstream news reporters that the betel nuts he sells are mainly purchased from Hunan, and they are traded through normal channels, and the main ones who buy are middle-aged people, "There are many old customers." ”
The reporter found through the takeaway software query that located in the urban area of Chengdu, there are also a large number of merchants providing betel nut takeaway services, and the price of each bag ranges from tens of yuan to 100 yuan.
An interview by an upstream news reporter on the streets of Chengdu showed that most people were still very unfamiliar with betel nut, saying that they knew about betel nut but had never tried it, and most citizens said that they had not eaten betel nut. Mr. Chen, a citizen who has worked and lived in Hunan for a long time, said, "Betel nut has a unique taste, and those who like it will like it very much, and it is a bit addictive, but after returning to Chengdu, I basically haven't seen anyone eat it, and the regional gap is still too big." ”
▲On November 28, betel nut products were sold on the streets of Chengdu. Photo by Upstream News Reporter Hu Lei
History of betel nut consumption and carcinogenic harm
The oldest recorded record of eating betel nut comes from India 2600 years ago. Since then, there have been various records of humans eating betel nuts in West Asia, India, East Africa, Southeast Asia and other places.
What are the possible health risks of eating betel nut? Lin Mu, attending physician of the Department of Oral Mucosa of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, said in an interview that people who chew betel nut for a long time are more likely to develop oral cancer than people who do not have the habit of eating betel nut. "The arecine and areca nut contained in betel nut are carcinogenic, and long-term consumption may cause oral mucosal fibrosis, which is a precancerous lesion. If left untreated, it is possible to develop oral cancer. Lin Mu said that some betel nut products now need to add additional lime, tobacco and other substances in order to sell, but these additives are also carcinogenic, and long-term consumption will increase the risk of cancer.
According to the study "Epidemiological Study of Edible Betel Nut in Hunan Region" published by the Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2011, the rate of betel nut chewing among residents in Hunan Province was 38.40%, of which 42.65% in urban areas and 34.12% in rural areas, "In Hunan, more than 4 out of 10 people chew betel nut." ”
The high consumption of betel nut by Hunan people also brings high risks. According to the article "Analysis of the incidence and mortality of oral cancer in Hunan Province Cancer Registration Areas from 2009 to 2015" published in the journal "China Oncology" in 2019, the Xiangya School of Public Health of Central South University, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital and Hunan Cancer Hospital in the journal "Chinese Oncology" in 2019, the incidence of oral cancer in the tumor registration area of Hunan Province accounted for 2.09% of the incidence of cancer, and the death rate of oral cancer accounted for 1.22% of cancer deaths," The incidence of oral cancer among residents in Hunan Province is higher than the national and world average, and the proportion of oral cancer deaths is also higher than the national level. ”
An epidemiological statistics from mainland Taiwan also show that the relationship between eating betel nut and buccal mucosal cancer and gum cancer is particularly obvious, and the proportion of oral mucosal fibrosis in people who chew betel nut is as high as 15%, while the proportion of oral mucosal fibrosis turning into cancer is 3.3%. People who chew betel nut are 28 times more likely to develop cancer than those who do not, 89 times more likely to have a combined smoking habit, and 123 times more likely to drink alcohol.
The high health risks posed by betel nut as a food consumption have attracted the attention of scholars and health departments. The National Health Commission also mentioned in the interpretation of the "Healthy Oral Action Plan (2019-2025)" that it is necessary to intervene in high-risk behaviors such as long-term betel nut chewing to promote the development of healthy behaviors and lifestyles among the masses.
Zhang Guang, who has long paid attention to the development of the betel nut industry and is responsible for the sales of a brand of betel nut in the southwest region, told upstream news reporters that in the case that betel nut has been "sentenced to death" by the academic community, it is inevitable that the regulatory authorities will supervise its non-food classification, "More and more provinces will strictly control betel nut, in this case, how to go about this industry will be a big problem." ”
▲Sichuan Yingshan County Market Supervision Administration held a seminar on the prohibition of betel nut sales. Image source: Yingshan County Market Supervision Bureau
100 billion industry cake and delisting strategy
Whether it is medical, academic or regulatory, the characterization of betel nut has been quite negative, and the ban on the sale of betel nut in the name of food will also be a fact in the short term, and the betel nut industry is also fighting for the future of its own industry.
In November 2020, the China Society for Policy Science Research published an article entitled "Research on Countermeasures to Solve the Dilemma of the Betel Nut Industry", which stated that "betel nut has been severely demonized, and the media hype has not only caused a large number of public opinion about betel nut, but also caused the public to completely replace the consumption of betel nut in the mainland by negative perception." This article, which is considered to represent the betel nut industry, puts forward that "there is a major controversy over whether the consumption of betel nut in the mainland is carcinogenic", arguing that the eating methods of India and Southeast Asia, which are mainly studied by the World Health Organization, are different from the consumption of tender betel nut shells in China, "At present, the toxicological research conclusions and epidemiological investigation conclusions on the consumption of betel nut in China are also inconsistent, and there is still major controversy over whether the consumption of betel nut in the mainland is carcinogenic", "Long-term excessive consumption of current consumption of betel nut has adverse effects on the oral cavity, But the extent of the impact cannot be scientifically judged. ”
The upstream news reporter noted that the betel nut industry has emphasized the special production technology of Hunan betel nut and emphasized that there is insufficient research on this special production method.
Jiang Canhua, director of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, vice president and secretary general of the Hunan Stomatological Association, has also publicly refuted the "theory that betel nut is harmless", directly pointing out that "there is no healthy way to eat betel nut".
Zhang Guang, himself a stakeholder in the betel nut industry, feels that the statement that "betel nut is harmless" cannot be accepted by the public, "What you eat is not something else, you can only prove that he has no problem eating it, how can you argue that there may not be a problem if you eat it?" ”
The upstream news reporter noted that the latest data from the market supervision department of Hunan Province shows that in 2020, there will be about 2 million people engaged in the production and sales of betel nut in Hunan Province, while there are nearly 100,000 people engaged in post-harvest processing, transportation and sales of betel nut in Hainan, the main production area, and about 2.3 million farmers grow betel nut, and the betel nut industry plays an important role in the economy and people's livelihood of the two provinces.
The attitude of local governments towards betel nut is not "banned".
In its Reply to Recommendation No. 1247 of the Fourth Session of the 13th Provincial People's Congress publicly released on May 21, 2021, the Hunan Provincial Administration for Market Regulation mentioned that the Hunan Provincial Administration for Market Regulation focused on promoting relevant legislative work, first of all, striving to issue provincial government rules to clearly establish a provincial administrative license for the production of betel nut products. One year after the implementation of the temporary license, the Provincial People's Congress shall be requested to formulate local regulations in accordance with the requirements of the Administrative Licensing Law; The Hunan Provincial Market Supervision Bureau will strengthen the connection with the work of the Provincial Department of Justice and the Provincial People's Congress, do a good job in the follow-up of legislative projects, and strive to determine the positioning of betel nut as a "local characteristic product" through local legislation.
Hainan, a major betel nut growing province, is also trying to save betel nut through industrial transformation. The 2022 Hainan Provincial Government Work Report clearly stated that it is necessary to "accelerate the promotion of research on the deep processing and medicinal value of betel nut". During this year's "Two Sessions" in Hainan, Guan Shujing, a deputy to the Hainan Provincial People's Congress, proposed that "from the provincial level to the city and county level, the betel nut industry should be appropriately guided to gradually transform and develop into some other industries." It is necessary to develop characteristic industries and continue to expand the tea, tobacco, oil tea and other industries with high yield efficiency and successful promotion to replace the betel nut industry. ”
Zhang Guang, who has many years of sales experience in the betel nut industry, joked that he has been selling betel nuts for more than ten years, "I will not do anything else except this industry, I still hope that betel nut can be smoothly withdrawn and give us a buffer." Zhang Guang analyzed to upstream news reporters that betel nut has a long-term history of consumption in Hunan, Guangxi, Guangdong and other places, he believes that it is unrealistic to stop the sale of betel nut with a notice, "Many people are addicted to betel nut, there is always a place to buy it here, in fact, it is an effective transitional measure to regulate the sales of cigarettes, restrict advertising and publicity, strictly regulate the sales object, betel nut may not be healthy, but can it be a healthy exit?"
In October this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said that relevant national departments will strengthen communication and exchanges, support relevant industrial entities to increase research efforts in pharmacology, agronomy, processing, etc., deeply develop the medicinal value of betel nut, and promote the transformation and upgrading of Hainan's betel nut industry.
Upstream news reporter Hu Lei
Editor: Zhu Liang
Responsible editor: Lang Qingxiang
Reviewed: Nguyen Pengcheng