Can these "gold -plated" foods be eaten?

Gold (silver) foil cake, gold (silver) foil ice cream, gold (silver) foil chocolate, even gold foil steak, gold foil sushi ... Have you heard of these "wearing gold and silver" food?

In recent years, many merchants have added "gold and silver foil powder" to the food produced in order to attract customers. These high -premium "net red foods" seem to be high -end, foreign, and upper -level, but there are food safety risks behind them. It is a consumer gimmick and violated relevant regulations.

On June 23, 2022, the State Administration of Market Supervision, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Ministry, the National Health and Health Commission, and the General Administration of Customs jointly issued the "Regulations on the Investigation and Investigation of the Production and Operation and Operation of Food Food with Gold and Silver Foil" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations"), from food Production, food and edible agricultural product sales, food imports, online food transactions, food production, food advertising, regulatory law enforcement, food safety science popularization, etc., deploy and strengthen food safety supervision and management, severely investigate and deal with gold (silver) foil containing gold (silver) foil Gold (silver) powder (hereinafter referred to as gold and silver foil powder) food illegal acts, maintain the health of the people, and purify the market consumption environment.

"Regulations" Requirements:

1. Food producers and food and edible agricultural products sellers shall not purchase and use gold and silver foil powder to produce, process, sell gold and silver foil powder food and edible agricultural products;

2. Food importers must not import gold and silver foil powder foods and gold and silver foil powder for food production and operation;

3. The third -party platform of online food transactions must strictly implement the main responsibility, prohibit the publicity and sales of food production operators and sell gold and silver foil powder;

4. No unit or individual may promote the consumption of gold and silver foil powder through the Internet and other information networks. It may not be edible in food advertisements, and adding gold and silver foil powder to have health care functions and therapeutic effects;

5. Edible agricultural product producers and sellers shall not produce and sell food agricultural products containing gold and silver foil powder, and shall not add gold and silver foil powder as a gimmick to speculate on edible agricultural products.

What is gold and silver foil powder

The so -called gold and silver foil powder is actually the processing of metal gold and metal silver through certain physical means into a very thin piece or powder, and is mostly used for building decoration or crafts. Gold foil is much thinner than the cicada wings. Generally speaking, 1 gram of gold can be made into about 0.5 square meters of gold foil, which is basically equivalent to the size of a large floor brick. It should be noted that gold and silver foil powder is not included in the "National Standard Food Additives of Food Safety" (GB 2760). It does not belong to food additives, not food raw materials, and cannot be used for food production and operation.

The safety risk of consumption of gold and silver foil

Gold and silver are not essential nutrients for the human body. Without any nutritional value, they cannot produce any taste. The purity of gold and silver foil powder is as high as 99.99%, and no reaction will occur in the human body, nor will it be digested and absorbed by the human body. For example, adding gold and silver foil powder to food, generally adding a very small amount (milligram level). After intake with food, it will not produce accumulation. Usually, it will be discharged with the feces, which will have a small impact on human health.

The food safety risk of consumption of gold foil is small, but it is not completely risk. For example, the following situation: First, if a lot of consumption, because gold cannot be digested, it may lead to indigestion. Second, if the gold and silver foil powder added to the food mixes heavy metals such as lead, it may cause damage to human health.

Source: Nanjing Disease Prevention and Control Center

Edit: Wang Jing

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