According to a notice on food safety issued by
the Market Supervision and Administration Bureau of Zhejiang Province,
ethylvanillin was recently detected in Wei Quan's Oh-Baby formula powder, an
infant formula for babies of 0 to 6 months. The product is produced by Hangzhou
Weiquan Biotechnology Food Co., Ltd. China's regulations stipulate that
ethylvanillin should not be used in infant milk powder, and therefore the
product has been determined to be illegal.
According to the notice, ethylvanillin in Wei
Quan's Oh-Baby infant formula was detected at a concentration of 103.5μg/kg. The product has since been removed from the shelves at the Wei
Quan Jingdong flagship store, but some e-commerce companies such as Pinduoduo
are still selling the product on their platforms.
The Market Supervision Bureau of Zhejiang
Province has instructed the relevant municipal market supervision departments
to investigate and deal with unpermitted substances found during random
inspections, and the bureau requires the market supervision departments of all
cities in its jurisdiction to supervise and urge food production enterprises to
find and recall substandard products and take measures for rectification. The
bureau also requires the market supervision departments of all cities urge all
food-related businesses to take immediate measures to remove substandards from
shelves in order to reduce health risks.
Ethylvanillin's unique taste used to hook infants
Ethylvanillin is a type of spice. According to
China's national food safety standard legislation, infant formula for babies
between 0 and 6 months shall not contain any food spices, and for this reason
Wei Quan's products failed two inspections.
Vanillin, also known as vanilla acid, vanilla
powder, and vanilla extract, has the aroma of vanilla bean and a rich milky
flavor, which can enhance the fragrance of the food to which it is added. It is
widely used in industries such as cosmetics, tobacco, cakes, candy, and baked
goods.
As a food additive, vanillin can improve
taste, and it is easier for infants and young children to accept it after
consumption. Once infants and young children are used to the taste of a certain
brand of milk powder, it is difficult for them to adapt to other brands of milk
powder in a short time. Children have memories of their first mouthful of milk,
and therefore will reject other flavors of milk. Giving infants their first
mouthful of milk is equivalent to obtaining huge business opportunities and
high profits.
Wei Quan's production standards do not meet Chinese regulations
Wei Quan is a milk powder company from Taiwan
founded in 1953. The company obtained three patents for infant milk powder both
in Taiwan and abroad. In 1992, Wei Quan entered the Chinese market, and the
company's milk powder formula was previously verified by Beijing Children's
Hospital.
Since last year, vanillin has been detected in
a variety of imported milk powders for first-stage infants, which is likely due
to the simultaneous production of products for first stage, second stage, and
third stage infants. Furthermore, many foreign companies may intentionally add
vanillin into their products, as food regulations are often different outside
of China.
For more information, please check our Dairy Products
China News.
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