Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
2011-06-08 China Times [Huang Tianru, Zhou Zhihao / Taipei Report]
Amid the plasticizer storm, beverage manufacturers have been promoting "100% natural fruit juice." However, Taipei city councilors have exposed that many so-called 100% natural fruit juices are actually reconstituted from concentrated juice and are far from being original. Moreover, the product labels use "ant-sized" fonts, raising suspicions of false and unclear labeling. Nutritionists warn that the vitamins and minerals in natural fruit juice may be destroyed during the concentration and reconstitution processes, emphasizing that "natural is still the best!"
During a city council inquiry yesterday, councilor Jian Yuyan and others pointed out that many products labeled as "100% pure juice," "100% original juice," or "sunshine fruit pulp" mislead consumers into believing they contain original juice. However, the product descriptions or ingredient lists indicate the juice type as "concentrated juice," clearly involving false labeling.
Even more outrageous is that the product names like "100% pure juice," "100% original juice," or "20% original juice" are displayed in large fonts, while the words "concentrated juice" are printed in "ant-sized" letters, barely visible without a magnifying glass. This disproportionate labeling also raises issues of unclear disclosure.
Jian Xiwen, section chief of the Food and Drug Administration under the Department of Health, stated that most commercially packaged "100% fruit or vegetable juices" are reconstituted from natural concentrated juice. As long as manufacturers comply with the national standard CNS by clearly labeling "reconstituted juice" on the front of the packaging, there is no issue of false labeling. This is because CNS does not explicitly define 100% fruit juice, vegetable juice, or so-called pure juice as freshly squeezed natural juice.
However, Taipei Mayor Hao Longbin believes that beverages made by reconstituting concentrated juice with water should not be labeled as 100% original juice. He acknowledged that current product labeling is misleading and warrants review. Lin Qihong, director of the Taipei City Health Bureau, stated that inspections would be conducted immediately. Products found to violate labeling regulations or engage in false labeling will be penalized under the "Food Sanitation Management Act." Failure to list ingredients can result in fines ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000, while false labeling can incur fines of NT$40,000 to NT$200,000.
From a nutritional standpoint, Yang Yanyin, a former nutritionist at the John Tung Foundation and currently a nutritionist at Cheng Gong Junior High School in Hsinchu County, explained that while the process from natural juice to concentrated juice and then to reconstituted juice may seem like simply removing and then adding back water, some precious natural nutrients can still be lost during production.
Yang emphasized that although vitamins and other nutrients can be artificially added later, research shows that the human body absorbs natural nutrients better than synthetic ones. Additionally, the more complex the manufacturing process, the higher the risk of contamination.
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ f……0108901/ 112011060800093. html
100% Juice Often Not Pure Juice
Amid the plasticizer storm, beverage manufacturers have been promoting "100% natural fruit juice." However, Taipei city councilors have exposed that many so-called 100% natural fruit juices are actually reconstituted from concentrated juice and are far from being original. Moreover, the product labels use "ant-sized" fonts, raising suspicions of false and unclear labeling. Nutritionists warn that the vitamins and minerals in natural fruit juice may be destroyed during the concentration and reconstitution processes, emphasizing that "natural is still the best!"
During a city council inquiry yesterday, councilor Jian Yuyan and others pointed out that many products labeled as "100% pure juice," "100% original juice," or "sunshine fruit pulp" mislead consumers into believing they contain original juice. However, the product descriptions or ingredient lists indicate the juice type as "concentrated juice," clearly involving false labeling.
Even more outrageous is that the product names like "100% pure juice," "100% original juice," or "20% original juice" are displayed in large fonts, while the words "concentrated juice" are printed in "ant-sized" letters, barely visible without a magnifying glass. This disproportionate labeling also raises issues of unclear disclosure.
Jian Xiwen, section chief of the Food and Drug Administration under the Department of Health, stated that most commercially packaged "100% fruit or vegetable juices" are reconstituted from natural concentrated juice. As long as manufacturers comply with the national standard CNS by clearly labeling "reconstituted juice" on the front of the packaging, there is no issue of false labeling. This is because CNS does not explicitly define 100% fruit juice, vegetable juice, or so-called pure juice as freshly squeezed natural juice.
However, Taipei Mayor Hao Longbin believes that beverages made by reconstituting concentrated juice with water should not be labeled as 100% original juice. He acknowledged that current product labeling is misleading and warrants review. Lin Qihong, director of the Taipei City Health Bureau, stated that inspections would be conducted immediately. Products found to violate labeling regulations or engage in false labeling will be penalized under the "Food Sanitation Management Act." Failure to list ingredients can result in fines ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000, while false labeling can incur fines of NT$40,000 to NT$200,000.
From a nutritional standpoint, Yang Yanyin, a former nutritionist at the John Tung Foundation and currently a nutritionist at Cheng Gong Junior High School in Hsinchu County, explained that while the process from natural juice to concentrated juice and then to reconstituted juice may seem like simply removing and then adding back water, some precious natural nutrients can still be lost during production.
Yang emphasized that although vitamins and other nutrients can be artificially added later, research shows that the human body absorbs natural nutrients better than synthetic ones. Additionally, the more complex the manufacturing process, the higher the risk of contamination.
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ f……0108901/ 112011060800093. html