Multiple underground betel nut industries are involved in carcinogenic vortex

After de -foodization, how to regulate the development of the betel nut industry

Become a big event in the industry

A young man who loves to chew betel nut passed away. On September 12, the news that Fu Song, a 36 -year -old singer, began to discuss the news of died of oral cancer two days ago. A short video shot by Fu Song in June was widely circulated. He said in the video, "I just want to tell everyone with my experience that betel nut is really terrible." In just a few days, "36 -year -old singer Fu Fu Weibo related to the topic of oral cancer has received more than 250 million reads.

A few days later, market supervision and administration bureaus including Yiwu, Chengdu, Sichuan, Sichuan, and Nanchong, Sichuan successively requested local food operators to "do not sell betel nuts and betel nut products that are not allowed to sell food packaging and labels." The requirements of the General Administration of "should no longer supervise the betel nut in food" have gradually been strictly implemented in various places.

In fact, the de -food supervision of the betel nut industry has lasted for a year. On September 28, 2021, the General Office of the State Administration of Market Supervision and Administration "Notice on the Supervision of betel nut products" stated that "in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Food Safety Law, the betel nut should no longer be supervised in accordance with food."

Ji Jianbang, the director of the Petrane Research Center of the Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told China News Weekly that in the past year, the society has increased its negative understanding of the betel nut industry, and the betel nut processing industry is also declining. Essence

In the medical community, chewing betel nut can cause cancer conclusions with many research support. The Chinese Stomatology Association has continuously called on the public to stay away from betel nut in recent years. At the same time, betel nuts have developed into important industries in Xiangtan and Hainan in Hunan, with scale to 100 billion yuan, and the number of employees has reached one million.

The young scholar Cao Yu published the book "One Chew Two Thousand Years" in June 2022, which sorted out the popular history of betel nut in China for two thousand years. In the book, Cao Yu said: "How to find a proper balance between maintaining the public's health and the development of the economy is a big problem in front of policy makers and even contemporary Chinese."

On October 4, 2021, in Longhu Town, Ding'an County, farmers, farmers picked betel nut green fruit at a betel nut purchase station. Photo/Visual China

"Betel nut carcinogenic" dispute

The Chinese medical community conducted a systematic study of oral lesions caused by betel nut, began in the 1980s.

In 1984, the current Spring Festival, the director of the Department of Stomatology at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University and the president of the Hunan Provincial Society, met a pair of sisters in the clinic. OSF). The sisters are engaged in betel nut business and chew betel nut every day. The following year, the Spring Festival mentioned these two cases in the article "Fibrous Fibrous Change (two cases)", saying that "so far, the cause of the fiber of the oral mucosa It is related to chewing betel nut. "

At that time, Danish oral pathogenesis Jens JøRgen Pindborg went to Xiangtan for inspection of sub -oral mucosal fibrous fiber. He proposed that chewing betel nut can cause fibrous fibrous changes in oral mucosa. According to the papers published in 1993, "335 cases of sub -fibrous fibrous changes in oral mucosa fibrous changes in oral mucosa fibrous changes" published in 1993, from October 1987, at the papers published in 1993, at the Hunan Provincial Department of Health With the support of the Xiangtan City, the Oral Stick Stickness Prevention Cooperation Group investigated 11046 people in Xiangtan City. A total of 335 cases of fibrous fiber in the oral mucosa were found, and these 335 patients had the habit of chewing betel nut, confirming the point of Pindborg.

By 1989, in the thesis "Clinical Study of Fibrous Fibrous Characteristics of Oral Stick Mulfur", the New Year and others pointed out that the risk of fibrous fibrous fiber in the oral mucosa of the oral cavity was much higher than others. Since then, more and more research on the medical community about betel nut and oral lesions.

On August 7, 2003, the International Cancer Research Center (IARC) of the World Health Organization Institutions (IARC) collected hundreds of research reports in 7 countries and regions including India and Pakistan, and invited 16 experts to discuss. Care cancer. In 2017, when the former State Food and Drug Administration announced the list of carcinogens, betel nut fruits were also included in a type of carcinogen.

A doctor of Stomatology Center of China -Japan Friendship Hospital told China News Weekly that the reason why betel nut can cause oral cancer because of betel nut alkali, betel nut tannin, betel nut, nitrosamine and active oxygen in betel nut Ingredients and metabolites include cytotoxicity, genetic toxicity, and even direct carcinogenicity. In addition, in the process of chewing betel nut, because there are many crude fibers in betel nuts, it may stab the mouth and gums, block the teeth, and even cause inflammation, causing the oral mucosal fibrosis. Oral mucosal fibrosis is a kind of pre -cancer lesions, which can be malicious to oral cancer.

The above doctors said that in recent years, many research papers show that the proportion of chewing betel nut in patients with oral cancer is very high. A papers published in the "China Dental Research Magazine" in 2017 in the "China Dental Research Magazine" showed that from 2006 to 2016, there were a total of 11,882 people who chewed betel nuts from 2006 to 2016, of which 8222 was chewing 8222 People account for 69.20 % of patients with oral cancer.

On the question of whether betel nuts are carcinogenic, the idea of ​​the betel nut industry is very different from the medical community.

Yang Xun, president of the Hunan Chec nut Food Industry Association, provided a "Different Opinions and Situations on Cancer Cancer" to the media in 2018, which wrote that the World Health Organization determined that betel nuts were reported as a first -class carcinogenic matter Investigation statistics and conclusions based on the situation of Southern Asia, Southeast Asia and Taiwan, which are not sampled in Hunan. In this report, Hunan betel nut is also caught. Yang Xun believes that there is no direct causal connection between chewing Hunan betel nut and cava cancer. "China News Weekly" reporters have called Yang Xun many times, and Yang Xun rejected the reporter's interview.

The person in charge of a Hainan betel nut planting enterprise told China News Weekly that the existing scientific research is basically saying that long -term excessive consumption of betel nut will cause oral mucosal lesions. "But until now, the carcinogenic mechanism of betel nut has not figured out. If the carcinogenic machine of betel nut has been figured out, we can confirm that betel nut carcinoma can be confirmed, and we are not willing to engage in this industry again. "

Ji Jianbang is the chief scientist of the technical system of betel nut industry in Hainan Province. In his opinion, in 2004, the World Health Organization included betel nut chewing blocks and fresh betel nut products such as betel nut products in the first -class carcinogen. In January 2021, the "Liuye Knife · Oncology" magazine released the international cancer research institution that betel nuts "may cause cancer to humans" based on cell experiments, and "no clinical research conclusion so far." Ji Jianbang believes that at present, the basic and systemic scientific research on betel nut is not in -depth. The harmful substances of betel nut products are unclear for the cause of damage, damage pathway, and damage quality caused by the human body.

In this regard, doctors in China -Japan Friendship Hospital believe that the current scientific research of betel nut pathogenic causes, in vitro experiments, animal experiments, and molecular biological experiments, coupled with epidemiological survey Evidence -based medical evidence chain.

Jiang Canhua, deputy director of the Department of Stomatology of Xiangya Hospital and vice chairman of the Hunan Provincial Society of Stomatology, said that the occurrence of cancer is caused by multiple factors. At present, the pathological mechanism of betel nut carcinogenic is not clear. Cancer has not been solved all over the world.

Although the medical community and the betel nut industry have not yet reached an agreement on "whether betel nuts are carcinogenic", the public has actually gradually formed a general understanding of "chewing betel nut is not good for health".

Before writing "One Chew for Two Thousand Years", a large number of respondents who came into contact with Cao Yu in the field survey expressed their understanding of betel nut as carcinogens, "basically a consensus." Many people told Cao Yu that the channel for knowing that betel nuts are carcinogens are "seeing reports on TV" or "reading on mobile phones".

Cao Yu launched an online questionnaire survey of "Cognitive degree of betel nut cognitive" from November 19, 2020 to December 1, 2020. 790 valid questionnaires were recovered. 64.4 % of the respondents chose "addicted things" and 51.9 % of the respondents chose "carcinogen". Cao Yu concluded that most people's impression of betel nut is the "carcinogen" of "addicted".

The betel nut industry after foodization

Although Chinese people have known betel nuts for more than 2000 years, the edible betel nut produced by people now familiar with it is the "fruit" formed by the evolution of the betel nut industry in the past 40 years.

Ji Jianbang said that the historical context of the development of the betel nut industry is divided into three stages. Before the 1970s, the first stage of the small cashmere Lang on the streets of Xiangtan went to the streets to sell betel nuts. Production; the second stage was from the 1980s to the 1990s. It was characterized by the front shop and the rear factory. The scale of the production of betel nut in Xiangtan gradually expanded, and the employees were more professional. Since the late 1990s, the modern industrial production method of the betel nut processing industry has developed rapidly. A number of large -scale betel nut processing enterprises have emerged, such as the taste king, Bin Zhilang, Huangye, fat brother, Xiaolong king, etc.

The rapidly developing betel nut industry was stumbled in 2021.

On September 17, 2021, the General Office of the State Administration of Radio and Television issued the "Notice on Stop using Radio and Television and online audiovisual programs to promote and sell betel nuts and its products", which clearly requires that from the date of release, stop using radio, television and online audiovisual audiovisuals. Proponing the market to sell betel nut and its products.

The "betel nut advertising ban" has caused a lot of impact on the betel nut industry. In the first half of 2022, the Xiangtan Industrial and Information Bureau issued a report after investigating the city's betel nut development industry, which reported that due to the above incident, "the emperor, the dragon king, Wu Zizun, Bin Zhilang, the fat brother, etc. Checa production enterprises have basically been in the current situation of reducing production, narrowing scale, and maintenance since the second half of 2021. For example, the second phase of the Huangye Food has been suspended. "

Advertising promotion plays a vital role in the expansion of betel nut companies. Cao Yu concluded in "Two Thousand Years", the popularity of Xiangtan betel nut outside the Xiangtan area began in the first few years of the 21st century. For the first time, Hunan Satellite TV's TV advertisement pushed Xiangtan betel nut to the national TV audience. From 2003 to 2013, betel nut companies expanded the market, and a number of betel nut companies advertised on major media across the country. China's betel nut consumption also doubled in this 10 years. In Cao Yu's opinion, the high -profile betel nut companies are not good for the entire industry in those years. "The strategy of the betel nut industry should be a big deal, because as long as the advertising is promoted, it will be high -profile to enter the public vision. Avoid the problem of betel nut carcinogenesis. "

The betel nut industry intends to become low -key. On March 7, 2019, the Hunan Provincial Association of Betel nut Food Industry issued the "Notice on Stop Advertising Propaganda". Cao Yu believes that this measure is a manifestation of the marketing strategy of the betel nut industry's "Small Voice" marketing strategy. However, this move did not get the strict obey of all betel nut companies until the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television issued the "betel nut advertising ban", betel nut companies are still sponsoring "This! It is popular variety shows such as hip -hop "Tucao Conference".

"There is almost no technical barriers in the betel nut industry, so the competition in sales channels and advertising marketing will be cruel." Cao Yu said that it is obvious for one or two betel nut companies in the short -term in the short term The betel nut industry will be dangerous. After betel nut companies scrambled to carry out marketing offensives and expand the market crazy, they waited for a "betel nut advertising ban" from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

However, for betel nut companies, the advertising ban in 2021 itself is not fatal, or it brings direct blows. The "betel nut advertising ban" trend may have a deeper impact on the betel nut industry.

Cao Yu believes that the "betel nut advertising ban" is the first time that the government has exercised compulsory means to the betel nut industry across the country. In the future, more restrictions may be followed up.

After the "betel nut advertising ban", the first document that brought huge shocks to the industry was the "related matters related to betel nut product supervision issued by the Market Supervision Bureau of Hunan and Hainan on September 26, 2021," "Notice", this notice pointed out that "according to the relevant provisions of the Food Safety Law, it should no longer be supervised by food in accordance with food." Ji Jianbang said that in the past, eating betel nuts in the 28 categories of the "Food Production License Classification Catalog" belonged to "other food categories". Completion of foodization in accordance with the rules, the betel nut industry's post -foodization era, betel nut products have urgently need research.

Since the second half of 2021, the food production license of betel nut companies has begun to expire. Ji Jianbang said that after the State Administration of Market Supervision and Administration no longer supervises the betel nut in accordance with food, Hainan and Hunan have formulated new standards to explore new regulatory models.

On October 8, 2021, Hainan Local Standard "Betel nut" released by the Hainan Provincial Market Supervision Bureau was officially implemented. On January 1, 2022, the Hunan Provincial Association of Betel nut Food Industry released a group standard "Refined Betel nut" instead of "Edible Betel nut", which stipulates the technical requirements, inspection methods, tags and labels, packaging, transportation, storage, etc. of refined betel nuts, etc. content. In Hainan's local standard "Betel Na", it is mentioned that dried betel nut products must be labeled "long -term chewing betel nut, harmful oral health". Harmful oral health. "

"After the betel nut industry is de -food, the emergence of systemic problems such as the new regulatory model is still being explored. Strong impact affects the confidence of the consumer market. "Ji Jianbang said that the output value of the betel nut market this year decreased by about 30 % compared with the same period last year.

According to Ji Jianbang's analysis, in the next three to four years, the betel nut planting industry, initial processing industry, and deep processing industry will face large shocks. The specific manifestations are the decline in the product market consumption, the price of raw materials has fallen sharply, and the industrial atrophy.

Where does the betel nut industry go?

From the perspective of betel nut industry chain, deep processing and consumer markets are in Hunan, and planting and initial processing in Hainan. When the betel nut industry fluctuated, the betel nut industry practitioners in Hunan and Hainan felt unprecedented chills.

In Xiangtan, Hunan, betel nut is considered an important industry with local characteristics with high concentration. According to the city's city of betel nut industry survey report completed in the first half of 2022 in the first half of 2022, as of 2021, there were 68 edible betel nut production enterprises that have obtained food production licenses in Xiangtan, with more than 200,000 tons of dried betel nuts annually. The industrial chain achieved an output value of about 41 billion yuan in 2021.

Outside of Xiangtan, Yiyang, the betel nut industry in Hunan Province, has also risen rapidly. The above report shows that the Yiyang Enterprise Taste King Group has become the leader of the betel nut industry in the province. The annual purchase of the original fruit is 60 % of the total output of Hainan. According to media reports, Taste Wang Group's revenue in 2021 reached 4.235 billion yuan.

The popularity of betel nut in Hunan, especially Xiangtan, is a coincidence of historical. Cao Yu said that during the Qing Dynasty, betel nut was also a food that could be widely seen in various cities across the country. It was mainly people with rich and idle people. After the fragrant mouth. After the late Qing Dynasty, with the decline of the ruling class, the cutting of trade channels, and the withering of domestic industrial and commercial, the custom of chewing betel nut gradually disappeared elsewhere, but it was retained in Xiangtan. In Hainan, which is the main planting place of betel nut, betel nut has also become an important pillar industry. Ji Jianbang said that the planting area of ​​betel nut in Hainan currently reaches 4.41 million mu. In 2021, the output value of the entire industrial chain was 56 billion to 58 billion yuan, of which 23 billion yuan was planting, the initial industrial industries were 28 billion, and the deep processing industry was 5 billion to 5.5 billion. There are 10,000 workers engaged in the deep processing industry of betel nut. The initial processing industry is 15,000 to 20,000 seasonal workers. "The planting industry involves the income of 2 million farmers in Hainan Province."

The large -scale planting of betel nut in Hainan Province has actually started in the past ten years. According to the data of the former State Forestry Administration, the planting area of ​​betel nut in Hainan in 2010 was 978,000 mu. After more than ten years of development, the planting area of ​​betel nut in Hainan has been more than four times that of 2010.

The rapid development of betel nut planting in Hainan has not only been promoted by Hunan betel nut deep processing industry, but also benefits from unique geographical conditions. Ji Jianbang said that Hainan's climate and soil conditions are particularly suitable for betel nut growth. "In the past, we all called betel nuts for lazy trees, which means that ordinary people planted betel nut behind the house. Sell". In addition, compared to the betel nuts planted in countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and other countries, the betel nut juice grown in Hainan is more fleshy, and its quality is more suitable for domestic betel nut processing models.

A person in charge of a Hainan betel nut company said that the planting of betel nut in Hainan is mainly from the scattered planting of the people, accounting for more than 90 %. "The cultivation methods of ordinary people are relatively extensive. They use some idle land to plant fruit trees in front of the house, the fields, and the deserted mountains and slopes."

In recent years, the betel nut planting industry has become an important part of Hainan's poverty alleviation work. Ji Jianbang claimed that it involved the "consolidation of the achievement of 600,000 farmers from poverty alleviation." On the website of the Ledongli Autonomous County Government, the Ledong County Industry and Commerce Bureau can still see the work dynamics of free betel nut seedlings for poor households since 2016.

Ji Jianbang believes that there is no ban on the development of the betel nut industry at the current national level. After de -foodization, how to regulate the development of the betel nut industry has become a top priority in the industry.

The Xiangtan Industrial and Information Bureau mentioned in the city's betel nut industry survey report that "If Xiangtan City does not cultivate and support the betel nut industry, once the reverse elimination or the betel nut industry will be exited as a whole Abandoning an agricultural product processing industry and huge overseas markets above 100 billion, it has a huge adverse effect on the city's economic development, social stability and financial construction. " Create a good policy environment for the development of the betel nut industry. "

Since the second half of 2021, Hainan is also actively seeking a way for the development of the betel nut industry. In addition to the local standards of the Hainan Provincial Market Supervision Bureau, the standardized production of betel nuts, the Hainan Provincial Agricultural and Rural Department also issued the "Notice on Strengthening the Management Management of Betel nuts" to standardize betel nut planting.

In addition, in order to provide a scientific basis for the safety of betel nut, Hainan Province is still strengthening scientific and technological support for the betel nut industry. Hainan Provincial Department of Science and Technology supported two scientific research projects related to betel nut in 2021, with funds invested 15 million yuan. "Effective Epipliance Survey" project is borne by Xiangya Oral Hospital of Central South University. The implementation period of the two projects is 3 years, from December 2021 to December 2024.

"The current problems facing the betel nut industry are the lag in the basic research of the industry. The problems encountered in the development of the industry cannot be answered with scientific facts and scientific data." Ji Jianbang believes that the basic research of the betel nut industry is crucial, and the government and enterprises should jointly establish together The betel nut industry scientific action plan development fund, systematically study the current and long -term scientific problems of the betel nut industry, "completely solve the scientific issues that are unclear and unclear in the betel nut industry, and give history and society an explanation."

Now, Hainan is actively promoting the industrial transformation of the betel nut industry. On April 28, 2022, the launching meeting of the Hainan Provincial Chec nut Industry Technology System was held in Haikou, which clarified the main tasks of the next five years, including the research on product safety and health technology, as well as research on the research of betel nut processing gain rate reduction and new product creation. Essence

Discovering the medicinal value of betel nut is one of the directions for the transformation of the betel nut industry. Betel nut is the traditional Chinese medicinal material, which is the first of the four major southern medicines in China. It has a history of more than a thousand years. However, the person in charge of Hainan betel nut planting enterprises believes that medicinal betel nuts can not support the current betel nut industry. If the betel nut can not develop, the betel nut industry will come.

In fact, betel nuts are difficult to ban as addictive products.Cao Yu said that although betel nut consumers generally have aware of the harm of betel nuts to health, some people will still chew betel nut, just like smoking people know that smoking may cause lung cancer, but they will not stop smoking.Now, Cao Yu is regrettable and happy about the status quo of the betel nut industry.It is a pity that the betel nut industry, as a representative of many industries, is a microcosm of its disorderly competition.I am glad that "betel nut, as a addiction, carcinogen, has finally received due restrictions in China."

Reporter: Zhang Xinyu ([email protected])

Edit: Liu Xiangnan

Operation editor: Wang Lin

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