Is zero added soy sauce really better?

Recently, a open access journal called eFood concerned about the facticity of zero added soy sauce, pointing out that some of zero added soy sauce have something fishy behind it: it was suspected that exogenous glutamic acid was added but not marked. Subsequently, the relevant soy sauce manufacturer retorted that the conclusion of the journal is not objective, scientific and fair, and the products meet national standards.

Behind this debate, the concept of zero added soy sauce has become more popular in recent years. As the largest industry in China's condiment market, soy sauce has developed rapidly towards the direction of high-end, healthy and refined in recent years. According to the data from an industrial research institution, the market share of high-end soy sauce is expected to exceed 40% by 2026. Among them, "zero added" has become one of the most popular labels in soy sauce industry. Nowadays almost all soy sauce manufacturers have launched "zero added" products, and soy sauce labeled with "zero added" is often more expensive than ordinary soy sauce.

Zhu danpeng, an analyst of China's food industry, said that the concept of "zero added" from manufacturers is just a gimmick In the absence of national standards.

 

 

 

 

There is no standard for "zero added"

 

China's relevant regulatory authorities have noticed the lack of the standards . They intend to strengthen the management of "zero added" labels. In last August, the State Administration for Market Regulation(SAMR) issued the "measures for the supervision and administration of food labeling (draft)", requiring that "zero added", "special supply", "special purpose" and "special demand" are not allowed to appear on food labels. 

On the one hand, The enactment of the draft is conductive to regulating and restricting the production and operation of food company, and fully meeting the consumers' right to learn the truth. On the other hand, it help consumers to  understand that there is no "original sin" in food additives, and treat it with an objective and rational attitude.