Heat turned up on safety of hotpot seasonings

A new testing method that detects the chemicals in hotpot seasonings has been carried out and could be put into practice, according to a local entry and exit regulator in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality.

The method, which can detect 76 kinds of chemicals in hotpot seasonings, has already been approved by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine as a future national standard for hotpot seasonings tests, said Wang Guomin, deputy director of the technological center from the entry-exit inspection and quarantine bureau in Chongqing.

Though tainted hotpot ingredients have topped national concerns over food safety in recent years, the detection of coloring agents like Rhodamine B and pesticides have long been difficult because of the mixture of ingredients.

"The new test technology would be groundbreaking as it provides a speedy test solution to supervision authorities," Wang told China Daily.

Hotpot seasoning was added to the country's food safety blacklist at the end of 2010 after local media in Anhui and Jiangsu provinces reported illegal uses of additives to improve color and flavor.

On March 26, the State Food and Drug Administration called for intensified regulation of catering businesses with self-made hotpot seasoning, beverages and flavorings.

Liu Yi, a hotpot restaurant owner in the municipality's Yuzhong district, believed the new test method would not affect local hotpot restaurants as supervision by the authorities has already been harsh enough.

"In my view, no hotpot restaurant in Chongqing would risk having its business closed by using the banned additives," Liu said.

Liu said although most hotpot restaurants cooked the seasonings themselves, the banned additives can barely be found in the local markets in Chongqing.

In May 2011, restaurants in the municipality were required to disclose detailed information about the additives they use in their hotpot dishes, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Local authorities also came up with intensified supervision and increased penalties for violators who used the additives.

The intensified inspection from local authorities came after a large amount of Sichuan pepper - an integral ingredient for hotpot - was found to contain additives harmful to human health.

As a major export region for hotpot seasoning in China, Chongqing has experienced steady growth in exports for the past two years.

According to statistics provided by the entry and exit inspection and quarantine authority in Chongqing, the city exported more than 2,900 tons of seasonings overseas last year - up from about 1,330 the year before - to major destinations, including the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia.

Known throughout China for its unique style of hotpot, Chongqing has more than 10,000 hotpot restaurants that have opened branches in other Chinese cities, according to a report by Xinhua.

Contact the writer at xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn