Haitian Flavor Industry encounters the "doubl

Haitian Flavor Industry (603288. SH), a time-honored brand in China, has recently been exposed by several audio and video accounts that Haitian soy sauce sold in China contains food additives, while Haitian soy sauce sold in Japan has no additives. Therefore, Haitian Flavor Industry is suspected of implementing "double standards".

Subsequently, # Haitian Flavor Industry responded to the soy sauce additive dispute # and made a hot search on microblog. Haitian Flavor Industry responded that it met the national standards, but after the response, the netizens' doubts did not disappear immediately: Why are the ingredients of Haitian soy sauce different at home and abroad? Is zero additive food healthier?

Some insiders in the food industry said in an interview with the Red Star Capital Bureau that most of the food is in line with the public taste, and food additives can further make up for the shortage of raw materials to make it meet the expectations of consumers. As long as the amount does not exceed the standard, there is no harm to human body.

Soy sauce sold abroad 0 Add

There are many additives sold in China

According to several dithering short video accounts, Haitian soy sauce sold abroad has no additives on the ingredients list, only water, soybeans, wheat, salt and other natural raw materials, while there are many additives sold in China in addition to natural raw materials.

The main additives in various Haitian soy sauce products are sodium glutamate, 5 '- disodium nucleotide, 5' - disodium inosinate, sodium benzoate, and sucralose. Red Star Capital Bureau found in the use standard National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB 2760-2014) that the first three are flavor enhancers, sodium benzoate is a commonly used food preservative, and sucralose is a sweetener.

As a result, Haitian products are deeply involved in the controversy of food additives on the online social networking platform.

On the evening of September 30, the official microblog of Haitian Flavor Industry responded, "The use and labeling of food additives in all Haitian products comply with the relevant standards and regulations of China." Haitian Flavor also said, "We not only have classic products such as golden standard soy sauce and straw mushroom soy sauce that have been popular for many years, but also have innovative products such as delicious and inexpensive 0 addition series and organic soy sauce series that meet different consumer preferences".

Haitian soy sauce also has 0 additive products.

The price is not high

Haitian soy sauce is not only a choice for domestic consumers. Red Star Capital Bureau found that Haitian Flavor's "first soy sauce", "golden standard soy sauce", "straw mushroom soy sauce" and other products have introduced two styles with additives and zero additives. Haitian soy sauce related to zero additives can be purchased on e-commerce platforms.

Red Star Capital Bureau checked the ingredient list of Haitian soy sauce "0 Golden Standard Light Soy Sauce" with zero addition. Its ingredient list includes water, non GMO soybeans, edible salt (without iodine), wheat, white granulated sugar, yeast extract, etc. The detail page indicates that 0% preservatives (sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate), sweeteners (sucralose, acesulfame), monosodium glutamate, and skimmed soybeans are added to the product during production. From the ingredients list, we can see that this soy sauce is the same as the "Haitian soy sauce sold in Japan" in the mouth of Tiaoyin netizens.

In addition to the different ingredient lists, the two Haitian soy sauce also have a slight difference in price and the same shelf life.

The specific difference is that, for example, in the Haitian official Tmall flagship store, a bottle of "0 Golden Standard Light Soy Sauce" sells for 9.9 yuan, while the package price of the classic "Golden Standard Light Soy Sauce" (2 bottles) is 20.9 yuan, equivalent to 10.45 yuan, and the price of soy sauce with additives is more expensive.

↑ Image source: Haitian official Tmall flagship store

In terms of sodium content, the sodium content of zero additive soy sauce is less than 1000mg (mg), and that of additive soy sauce is more than 1000mg (mg).

The left figure shows soy sauce with additives, and the right figure shows soy sauce with zero additives. Source of picture: Haitian official Tmall flagship store

Industry insiders: additives are not released, mainly to cater to consumers

According to the National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB 2760-2014), food additives refer to chemical synthesis or natural substances added to food to improve the quality, color, fragrance and taste of food, as well as for the needs of anti-corrosion and processing technology.

For the problem of Haitian soy sauce food additives, Yun Wuxin, a doctor of food engineering, thought it was a normal phenomenon. "Whether at home or abroad, manufacturers only meet the needs of target groups on the premise of 'legitimacy', so as to sell things to make money. Adding or not adding, and adding anything, are all aimed at their own customer groups, forming flavor characteristics and corresponding prices." Yun unintentionally expressed the above views on Weibo.

Not only soy sauce, but also other foods will be properly added with food additives.

"Most foods pay attention to meeting the public taste. Food additives can further make up for the shortage of raw materials and make them meet the expectations of consumers. As long as the amount does not exceed the standard, it will not harm the human body." An insider in the food industry said in an interview with the Red Star Capital Bureau. Take wine as an example. The main additive of wine is potassium metabisulfite. Contact with acid will release highly irritating sulfur dioxide gas, which has strong antibacterial and antiseptic effects.

In recent years, soy sauce manufacturers have launched products featuring "zero addition".

In this regard, Chang Cheng, a part-time medical researcher of Nanjing Kangzhuang Asset Management Co., Ltd., believes that zero additive food is a manifestation of manufacturers' pursuit of catering health, and consumers should treat food additives rationally. "Consumers usually regard zero addition and pure nature as good standards, but zero addition is not necessarily equal to complete health, and products with food additives are not equal to inferior products."

In addition, according to the Action Plan for a Healthy China (2019-2030), it is advocated that the per capita daily intake of salt (sodium) should not be higher than 5g (5g is equal to 5000mg). Chang Cheng also suggested, "Soy sauce contains sodium, whether with or without additives, excessive consumption is not a healthy diet."

Red Star Journalist Yu Yao Intern Journalist Lu Yuejia

Editor in charge Tang Huan Yang Cheng