Aluminum in food harms reproductive system. Health Department to revise additive standards

In order to protect people's food safety, the Consumer Protection Council recently conducted random checks on the "aluminum" content in commercially available products. The results showed that 22 samples of products including kelp and muffins had aluminum content exceeding the standard. The academic community is also worried that if the human body consumes foods with too high aluminum content, it may affect the reproductive system. In response to this, the Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health issued a statement yesterday afternoon on the 13th, saying that it will revise the food additive standards in a timely manner and continue to promote the importance of a balanced diet to consumers in order to maintain people's food safety and health.

The Consumer Protection Committee conducted random inspections on products on the market and found that the largest number of products with excessively high aluminum content were kelp products. (Photo/taken from Wikipedia, the original author is Alice Wiegand.)

The Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health pointed out that the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization published a research report in 2011 recommending that the allowable weekly intake of "aluminum" per person be temporarily set at 2 mg per kilogram of body weight; the EU standard is more stringent, set at 1 mg. However, the Department of Health explained that international regulations on aluminum-containing food additives vary. Although the European Union limits the aluminum content in sponge cakes to 1000 mg/kg, and mainland China sets the aluminum residue in products at less than 100 mg/kg, the United States, Japan and other countries do not have any restrictions on the aluminum content in food. However, in response to this situation, the United Nations International Standards Committee (Codex) has begun to study whether to revise the standards for the use of aluminum-containing food additives.

The Food and Drug Administration said that in order to prevent people from eating foods that contain too much aluminum, it has begun a "Survey on the Risk of Aluminum Exposure to Dietary Intake by the Citizen" project. It will closely monitor the latest news and risk assessment results released by the International Standards Committee, and revise domestic food additive standards in a timely manner to align with international standards. In addition, the Department of Health also specifically reminded the public that good eating habits are the basis of health, and encouraged the public to consume a balanced variety of foods, exercise appropriately, drink plenty of water, consume more natural fruits and vegetables, and reduce the intake of refined processed foods to ensure good health and stay away from diseases.