Taipei City randomly tested 49 pieces of glutinous rice dumplings, all of which passed inspection

In addition to viewing lanterns and carrying lanterns, the custom of eating glutinous rice balls and praying for reunion during the Lantern Festival has also become one of the important customs. In order to safeguard the health of consumers and ensure that the Lantern Festival dumplings sold in the market meet food safety and hygiene regulations, the Taipei City Government Health Bureau recently conducted random inspections of Lantern Festival dumplings and their fillings in dumpling restaurants, dessert shops, supermarkets, and stores. The inspection results found that 29 loose pieces and 20 packaged pieces met the relevant regulations on preservatives.

Eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival represents blessing and reunion, but glutinous rice balls are high in calories and it is not suitable to eat too much.

The 49 products sampled this time included 42 glutinous rice balls, 6 sides and fillings, and 1 taro ball. The main inspection items were preservatives such as benzoic acid, diethyl ether, and dehydrated acetic acid, and colorants were added to the colored products. The results all complied with the regulations. Among them, 20 products also complied with the relevant regulations on outer packaging labeling. For the inspection results, please visit the Food and Drug Consumer Information Service Network at http://consumer.fda.gov.tw/ or the Health Bureau website at http://www.health.gov.tw/ for relevant information.

The Health Bureau calls on consumers to pay special attention to the production environment and process of bulk Yuanxiao dumplings when purchasing dumplings, including that the production site and utensils should be kept clean; staff should keep their hands clean, not wear jewelry, have no wounds, and wear clean clothes. In addition, when cooking glutinous rice balls with ingredients such as red beans, eight-treasure beans and taro balls, you need to pay attention to their freshness and storage methods.

For packaged Yuanxiao dumplings, it is recommended to first confirm whether the outer packaging label is complete, especially paying attention to the expiration date. If you buy frozen (stored) glutinous rice balls, you need to check the storage temperature again to maintain the freshness of the product and prevent deterioration: frozen products should be placed in a freezer below minus 18°C; refrigerated products need to be stored below 7°C.

Eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival has the connotation of praying for blessings, but the Health Bureau reminds that the outer skin of glutinous rice balls is mostly made of glutinous rice, which is very sticky and difficult to digest. People with incomplete chewing or poor gastrointestinal function should eat slowly and not overeat to avoid the risk of indigestion or esophageal obstruction.

In addition, glutinous rice balls are high in calories. 10 small unfilled glutinous rice balls contain 70 calories, which is equivalent to a quarter of a bowl of rice. The calories in stuffed glutinous rice balls are even more astonishing. Four glutinous rice balls with traditional flavors such as sesame or peanuts have about 280 calories, which is equivalent to a bowl of rice. If the calculation basis is that 60 calories are burned for every 1 meter of walking or running, it will take nearly 5 hours of walking to burn enough calories. At the same time, in order to avoid weight gain and body burden caused by high calories, patients with diabetes and chronic diseases should not eat too much.