The Ministry of Health has just issued a ban on flour whitening agents. On March 4, Minister of Health Chen Zhu said in an interview with reporters before the opening ceremony of the CPPCC meeting, "Some so-called additives that are not necessary will be cancelled gradually. "For example, flour whitening agent, there is no need, since people like to eat raw ecological flour, why do you have to whiten it?

　　 "If there is no need to add food additives, it is prohibited", this It is a brand new idea to curb the proliferation of food additives. In the past, the idea of treating food additives was "food additives without health hazards should be allowed." There is a huge difference between the two.

　　In the past, if a company wanted to add a chemical substance to food, it could be approved as long as it provided evidence that it was harmless to health. But now, you have to prove that the addition of the chemical substance is necessary, otherwise it will not be approved.

　　How many of the hundreds of food additives that have been approved in the past, like whitening agents, are unnecessary? According to my opinion, most colors and spices are unnecessary.

　　 pigments are used to dye foods with colorful colors, the purpose is to create beautiful colors that natural foods do not have, or to simulate the colors of natural foods in artificial foods, or to cover up the food ingredients themselves Ugly colors, why is this necessary? Is it bad for us to eat natural foods that maintain natural color? (Pigments themselves have no positive effect on health)

　　Spices have no positive effect on health . Its role is similar to pigments, the purpose is to create a fragrance that food does not have, or to enhance the original weak fragrance of food, or to simulate the fragrance of natural food in artificial food, or to mask the natural food raw material itself is not very popular odor. In my opinion, this is obviously unnecessary for you. A bottle of water is just a bottle of water. You have to dye it with pigments and make it fruity with spices, then sell it as juice. What is necessary? Unless you think it is also necessary to "coax" consumers to spend money on purchases.

　　It must be stated that different people judge different standards of "necessity" and may draw different conclusions (this will also be the biggest challenge facing the management idea of "cancel without necessity") . The same kind of food additives, such as pigments, I don’t think there is any need to dye foods in colorful colors, but you may think that it is necessary, even if there is no artistic enjoyment, it can promote appetite, not always advocate "color", Is it full of fragrance and taste? Besides, if the company does not dye the tap water in the bottle to the color of grapes, how can it convince consumers to buy this grape juice?

　　No matter what, "Is it necessary to add "Sex" has become one of the criteria for judging food additives, rather than relying solely on "whether it is harmful" to judge, which is a big improvement in itself. Although such a policy will encounter severe challenges in the actual implementation process (the vested interests will not easily give up the vested interests), as long as the Ministry of Health has sufficient responsibility and courage, and at the same time strengthen education for consumers , Can certainly curb the phenomenon of the proliferation of food additives.