14 DAY TRIAL // Following the tainted milk scandal, which led to the death of at least 6 babies, and to some 300,000 others falling ill, Beijing authorities decided to compile and official list of all food additives that give flavor to various products, while at the same time posing a significant health risk for those consuming them. Health Ministry officials announced that new data would be added to the list as they became available. The main goal of this initiative is to better educate people on what it's healthy to eat and what not.
The melamine scandal was just the latest in a series of food scares that plagued China over the past few months. The population's confidence in the "made in China" brand has severely decreased, and the Communist regime is apparently taking steps to tackle this problem. The nation relies on a brute work force of approximately 200 million migrant workers, plus a few extra hundred millions engaged in agriculture and business.
Furthermore, because of the low food security levels, Chinese products now encounter difficulties when entering markets that they would have otherwise found very accessible and welcoming. The European Union, one of the main business partners the Asian nation has, has requested that additives such as baking powder and ammonium bicarbonate be thoroughly tested before they are allowed access onto its markets, as traces of melamine have been discovered in these products as well.
The dangerous chemical is used in various industrial processes, such as the production of plastics and pesticides, and, in high concentrations, it can be lethal to humans. Earlier this year, various dairy companies started adding the compound to their watered down products, as earlier tests had indicated that its chemical properties closely resembled those of proteins.
Also, the government will implement specific rules of production, for various sectors of the food industry, which it says it will thoroughly see through. But taking care of such a massive number of production units is no easy task, and Western observers question whether Beijing will be able to back up its claims.