Food additive regulation gets tougher in Beijing

Beijing is set to strengthen regulation of the use of food additives by small-scale catering businesses to better ensure food safety and public health.

The capital's lawmakers on Wednesday reviewed new articles for a draft regulation to standardize the use of food additives by small-scale catering businesses.

The draft regulation, submitted to the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, the capital's top legislature, stipulates catering business practitioners, which frequently use the food additives, keep a log of food additive names, amounts, time used and staff. This record should be kept for at least two years.

Notably, small catering business practitioners are prohibited from purchasing, storing and using food additives like nitrite salt, which are easily abused or misused, it said.

Zou Weiping, vice chairman of the legal committee of the Beijing people's congress, said the misuse of food additives is a cause of food safety accidents.

For example, nitrite, a common food additive for meat products, looks similar to edible salt and is easy to eat by mistake and misuse, Zou said.

At the same time, nitrite can result in death, illustrating a need for strengthened control, she added.

Generally speaking, the regulation is expected to have three reviews by the standing committee of the people's congress and will be finalized after that.