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EU's Ban on China's Soy Sauce Is a Sheer Rumor: Official
Deputy secretary general of China Condiment Association Bai Yan said that in December 2000, China implemented a soy sauce production standard higher than that of the EU's'. Consumers do not need to worry about using soy sauce made by standardized factories. She explained that it is a sheer fabrication that the EU has banned the exports of China's soy sauce.
According to reports, in a sample survey of soy sauce exported to EU in July, 1999, five factories were detected the contents of 3-MCPD (3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol) higher than the set standard. The export of the five brands to the EU was immediately prohibited, but other brands were not. Later, China formulated the related standard, regulating that the content of 3-MCPD shall not be higher than 1 part per million (ppm), and this is much lower than the EU's 2 ppm. There is no problem if factories produce soy sauce by this standard.
Some media take the EU's upcoming inspection to some soy sauce factories on May 12 as a final verdict. With regard to this, Bai Yan said we have so far not been notified about it. She doesn't think that the EU's inspection has any relation to do with the 1999 case. This is only a normal exportation inspection, and this may be the media's habitual way in exaggerating such thing, she said. As regards some rumors that the Cantonese-style soy sauce are made of compounds while that of Beijing's are by brewing, Bai Yan said, some factories maybe like to take this chance to advertise their products. Whether Cantonese or Beijing styled soy sauce, it is either made with compounds or by fermentation. Chinese condiment factories should take active measures to meet the challenge of fierce competition in international market, and should not fight a suicidal war among domestic partners.
By PD Online staff member Li Yan
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