Experts in three fields of medical research answer: can food additives be eaten

Haitian soy sauce additives at home and abroad "double standard" related news has been on the hot search several times in recent days, dragging down Haitian Flavor Industry's share price, the market value evaporated by more than 35 billion yuan after the opening of the market on the 10th, and continued to fall by more than 2%
on the 11th.
Around the core of the turmoil - food additives, has been controversial
.
Can food additives be eaten?

The Haitian taste industry incident originated from the food additive
"sodium benzoate".
Sodium benzoate is a commonly used food preservative, which has the effect of preventing deterioration and acidity and prolonging shelf life, and is widely used
in countries around the world.
However, in recent years, the application of the additive has been limited
due to concerns about its toxicity.

A number of experts believe that food preservatives such as sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate will indeed have a certain impact on
the human liver and kidneys.
However, in strict accordance with the national standards and specifications added, correctly labeled, the human body can adapt
normally.

Jining Yutang Sauce Garden, one of the four major sauce gardens in Jiangbei, has a history of more than 300 years, and Tian Shuyi, chief engineer of Jining Yutang Sauce Garden, said in an interview with China News Agency that soy sauce as a fermented condiment is rich in nutrition and difficult to preserve
at room temperature after the package is opened.
High-grade soy sauce has strong corrosion resistance and a slightly longer shelf life; Soy sauce without preservatives is very susceptible to microbial contamination during use after opening the package, and the harmful bacteria produced once it deteriorates are more harmful to the human body than preservatives
.

"Without food additives, there would be no modern food industrial revolution
.
" Li Huiying, an associate professor at the College of Biological Science and Technology at Beijing Forestry University, said there is no need to demonize
food additives.
The reasonable adjustment of color and fragrance is a necessary channel
for people to obtain more happiness through diet.
For example, most of the yogurt we drink is flavored sour milk, which may be difficult for most people to swallow
if it is not flavored.
People with weak digestive system and patients with gastritis and gastric ulcers may even be irritated and slightly burned by unblended yogurt
.

The same goes for replacing sugar with sweeteners, which for most people will have fewer
adverse effects on the body.
Li Huiying said that as long as the food produced in strict accordance with national regulations meets the requirements of industry standards, ordinary people can eat
it with confidence.
However, compared with pregnant women, infants and young children, liver and kidney insufficiency and other special groups, it is necessary to be more cautious
about foods containing food additives.
In reality, more attention needs to be paid to illegal addition and unclear labeling, especially some bulk, on-site processed foods have such
risks.

Zhang Ye, a well-known clinical dietitian and former director of the nutrition department of the Eighth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, also said in an interview with China News Agency that there is no need to panic
in the face of standardized use of food additives.

But Zhang Ye also emphasized that not only food additives, but also some natural plant spices made of less consumption, the better
.

First of all, infants, young children, whose body organs have not yet developed completely, are relatively fragile, and are more sensitive to food additives such as pigments and preservatives that require liver and kidney metabolism, decomposition and excretion, and the less they eat, the better
.
In addition, pregnant women are also a group with a heavy burden of liver and kidney function, and there is a greater risk in the face of the same food additives, and the dosage should be less and not better
.

Zhang Ye said that the experiment found that at home, only the simplest scallions, ginger, salt and other condiments made of soy beef and other foods, under the same time and amount, the change state of kidney function test indicators will be significantly better than eating purchased cooked food
.
Even normal healthy people, after continuously eating some plant flavoring spices, most of the body will be unwell
.
People's taste buds have memories, and children will not have excessive yearning or dependence
since childhood or are not exposed to food additives.

Li Huiying believes that at present, the majority of consumers show a certain "confused" mood about food additives and certain condiments, which can reflect that people's understanding of the use, regulation, dosage and harm of food additives is not clear
enough.
While increasing the publicity of food safety, further improving the relevant laws and regulations such as the use standards and labeling specifications of additives will help better protect consumers' right to
choose.
(Editor Li Chuang)