More Food Bans for China

It hasn't been the best year for China/st1 :country-region>'s food industry, which was covered by the thick black cloud of the melamine mayhem.  As a result, authorities are now increasing the number of banned food substances./span>

Joining the previously banned the Sudan/st1 :place> red dye that can cause cancer and the notorious melamine are seventeen new substances.  These include boric acid, commonly in insecticides, but also used to improve the elasticity of noodles, and lye, which is usually in soaps, but also used to improve the appearance of dried foods./span>

In addition to these new food bans is recent slaughter of 300,000 chickens that might e contaminated with H5N1, more commonly known as bird flu.  There hasn't been any evidence of this outbreak harming humans, but it's good to know that the situation is under control.  /span>

While these are positive steps to improve food quality in China/st1 :country-region>, this is still an uphill battle.  Enforcing these standards is easier said than done, since seventy percent of China/st1 :country-region>'s 500,000 food processors have fewer than ten employees.  Simply educating people of the new standards, let alone enforcing them, can be an extremely daunting task.    /span>

Considering that the use of melamine as a food additive was officially banned in 2007, it's highly unlikely that Chinese consumers can eat their favorite foods with complete confidence of the health standards./span>

On the other hand, these more comprehensive regulations are a positive step in the right direction./span>