I was told very low-quality product was being imported into the UK by criminal gangs and distributed across Chinese restaurant networks in England. Several years ago I had one of the many tip offs I get about food fraud and it involved soy sauce. So, now the ‘well that all adds up’ moment I had. TikTok, or DouYin in China, has been a key part of this story’s spread The lightbulb moment
What was once considered clever technology by food companies is now rejected by many consumers. What lies behind this scandal is the term “hex technology”, which is used in China to describe food companies that use additives in food products. Many Chinese consumers check labels very carefully to try and ensure they are purchasing only ‘natural products’. The government in China confirmed this was the case and while there were absolutely no food safety concerns, it didn’t stop many becoming worried and actually dumping large amounts of soy sauce that they had in their households.
The company issued several media statements trying to reassure consumers that all its products comply with China’s Food Safety regulations and are subject rigorous inspection by Chinese authorities. It’s claimed that domestically sold soy sauce contained many more ingredients, including additives such as flavour enhancers, preservatives, and sweeteners. The allegations aimed at the soy sauce product allege that products sold in China were inferior to those sold in Japan. Such social media platforms are a hugely important part of Chinese society and information sharing (as with many other parts of the world). Ever since the melamine scandal of 2008, it’s been proven that food safety stories can go viral on social media platforms such as Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, very easily. The company has faced accusations of implementing “double standards” in its domestic and overseas products and it has become one of the top social media scandals of recent years in China. The scandal has wiped $8 billion dollars off its share price – that would get the attention of any food manufacturing business. Now back to China and the woes of the multibillion-dollar soy sauce maker Foshan Haitian Flavouring & Food. Quite a lengthy and expensive process for a food item. It’s then filtered and heat sterilised before being bottled and ready for sale. The soybeans are steamed, mixed with wheat and salt and the fermentation and maturation process takes around six months. I’d never really thought about how it was produced until I read up on it and found it’s a product of soy fermentation with a very specific fungus. It’s a ‘must have’ ingredient in my stir fry and I add it as part of a spice/herb mixture ‘invented’ to bake fish. If you are like me, you have at least one bottle at home and use it for cooking quite a number of different foods. He told me about a scandal that had erupted in China relating to soy sauce.īefore we leap headfirst into the story, a little bit about soy sauce itself. When is the last time you had one of those ‘well that all adds up’ moments? I had one recently when I was discussing food safety and fraud topics with a very good friend and Chinese academic who visited me at Queen’s University. Professor Chris Elliott delves into a potential scandal unfolding in China surrounding soy sauce manufactured by Foshan Haitian Flavouring & Food and highlights a warning food and beverage manufacturers should heed.
0 kommentar(er)
