The Chinese government has reportedly published its first official list of food additives that are prohibited in the domestic food supply. The list includes 17 acids, chemicals and other substances–such as formaldehyde, boric acid and sodium thiocyanate–used to improve the appearance, texture or longevity of food products. In addition, the country’s regulators have warned of raids on high-risk companies that have thus far failed to address their own safety problems. “These lists . . . cannot cover all problems linked to illegally adding substances in food and abusing additives in the industry,” stated the Chinese health ministry, which this month launched a food safety initiative to increase consumer confidence. See AFP, December 16, 2008.
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According to the director of the FDA’s Office of Food Additive Safety, the agency will conduct additional analysis of the effects of bisphenol A on human health after its panel of independent science advisors called the agency’s position on its safety flawed. Laura Tarantino reportedly said that a lot of work remains; she would not indicate if the reassessment would take months or years. Among the issues the FDA is apparently exploring is the cumulative exposure people face over a lifetime given the chemical’s presence in food and beverage containers, plastic medical devices and coatings on gel tablets. A spokesperson for an environmental organization was quoted as saying, “More years of research by FDA to determine what thousands of scientists worldwide already know about the toxic chemical is a waste of time, taxpayer dollars, and will place millions of babies yet to be born at risk.” See The Washington Post,…
