Urumqi Health Supervision Department discovered during a recent campaign that some hotels in the city are not strictly following the rules on using food additives.
It says in a four-star hotel on Jiefang Beilu in Urumqi, the inspectors saw some dye-like material which were said to be used for making cakes, but when the inspectors asked how much of the material they will use each time for baking cakes, the hotel's chef replied that they never measured the amount and just dissolve it in water when it's needed.
In another star-rated hotel on Jiankang Road, the inspection team saw a kind of food additive with the called natural edible powder. The package of the powder said that it could be used for cleaning bathtubs, showers and toilets, washing clothes, eliminating the odor of trash cans and carpets, and curing stomachaches and other stomach problems, however, the hotel's chef claimed that it could be used to cook meat. When asked where they had purchased the goods, the hotel could not recall.
According to the inspectors, even qualified food additive must be used according to the national standards, and any improper or over use of the food additives will harm people's health.
At present, there are more than 1,900 kinds of permitted food additive, and companies are asked to keep a clear record of the amount, the types, the production date and the expiration date, the supplier, the health certificate, and the inspection requirements for each food additive.
