A national production standard for food fillings has been
formulated and is likely to be published by the end of this year,
the China General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC) announced on Monday as
public doubts linger over the cardboard bun saga.
The standard will be applied to most mass-produced food with
fillings that are consumed on a daily basis such as buns,
dumplings, cakes, bread, and ice-cream.
However, it will not cover hand-made food fillings in
restaurants and from vendors. Quick-frozen dumpling fillings are
also not included in the list because of the "wide variety and
complexity" of the fillings.
Examination standards for each pound of food filling that comes
off the production line have been drawn up. The products will be
tested on smell and for any contaminations, impurities or
microorganisms. They will be deemed unfit for consumption if they
fails any of the tests, the Beijing-based Legal Mirror
reported on Sunday.
Liu Qing, a middle-aged Beijinger supported the move. "This is a
good thing for us," he said.
However, a female office worker named Huang Yue doubted whether
the standard could be effectively carried out. "How can the
government effectively control exactly how much salt and meat is
added in so many food workshops?" she questioned.
The CGCC began drafting the standard in 2005 and the draft was
submitted to experts for their opinions. It is the first national
standard for general food fillings, following an industrial
standard for moon-cake fillings.
(Xinhua News Agency July 24, 2007)