Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
January 29, 2013, China Times [Reported by Zhu Fangyao, Huang Tianru, Li Zongyou/Taipei]
Is the rice vermicelli you're eating actually made from rice? A survey by the Consumer Foundation found that the well-known brand "Longkou Natural Hsinchu Rice Vermicelli" claims on its packaging to contain over 90% rice, but in reality, it contains less than 10%. The "Hsinchu Pure Rice Vermicelli" from the Hsinchu County Farmers' Association is labeled as made from pure rice, yet testing revealed it contains 0% rice.
The Consumer Foundation commissioned the Taiwan Cereal and Food Industrial Technology Research Institute to conduct the rice content testing. Due to the shockingly low rice content, the testers initially thought there might have been an error. Lin Meixin, head of the testing group at the institute, explained that the price difference between rice flour (at least NT$20 per kilogram) and cornstarch (around NT$10 per kilogram) likely incentivized manufacturers to increase the proportion of cornstarch, making it difficult for consumers to discern the difference by appearance.
For example, the well-known brand "Longkou Natural Hsinchu Rice Vermicelli" claims over 90% rice content, but actual testing showed only 7% to 10%. Three products under Ming Hao Enterprise's "Nong Geng Brand Hsinchu (Chen) Rice Vermicelli" all contained less than 10% rice. Even "Organic Kitchen," which has counters in department stores, sells "Organic Brown Rice Vermicelli" with less than 10% rice content.
The "Taiwan Traditional Flavor Rice Vermicelli" from the Zhubei City Farmers' Association was found to contain only 9% to 12% rice. The "Hsinchu Pure Rice Vermicelli" produced by the Zhudong Regional Farmers' Association claims to be 100% pure rice vermicelli, but testing revealed only 13% to 18% rice content.
Most surprisingly, the "Hsinchu Pure Rice Vermicelli" from the Hsinchu County Farmers' Association was found to contain 0% rice.
Cai Shuzhen, head of the Food and Drug Administration's Food Division under the Department of Health, stated that national standards currently define "pure rice vermicelli" as containing 100% rice and "blended rice vermicelli" as containing at least 50% rice. However, there is no definition for the rice content of "rice vermicelli." As long as the labeling is not false, "just like how sun cakes don’t contain the sun, 'rice vermicelli without rice' cannot be penalized at this stage."
Chen Jianbin, Deputy Director of the Agriculture and Food Agency under the Council of Agriculture, also pointed out that the issue of insufficient rice content in vermicelli is complex, with the key problem being unclear product labeling, which betrays consumer trust.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E6……B% 9F% E6% 98% AF- 213000754. html;_ylt=AgLpmEFs9ReYku4TUyJ9MuOVBdF_;_ylu=X3oDMTRqZTJoYmx1BG1pdANTZWN0aW9uTGlzdCBGUCBMaWZlc3R5bGUgTUQEcGtnAzRkMTZlMGJkLWQ2MTAtM2RlYy05MDdjLTFiYjlmY2VhM2UyZQRwb3MDMQRzZWMDTWVkaWFCTGlzdE1peGVkTFBDQVRlbXAEdmVyAzAyMTA0MDQ4LTY5YjYtMTFlMi1iZGVmLTI4OTJmMjg3MmVmZQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTF2dGdnZWI3BGludGwDdHcEbGFuZwN6aC1oYW50LXR3BHBzdGFpZAMEcHN0Y2F0A.aWsOiBnummlumggQRwdANzZWN0aW9ucw--;_ylv=3
Hsinchu Pure Rice Noodles Tested with Zero Rice Content
Is the rice vermicelli you're eating actually made from rice? A survey by the Consumer Foundation found that the well-known brand "Longkou Natural Hsinchu Rice Vermicelli" claims on its packaging to contain over 90% rice, but in reality, it contains less than 10%. The "Hsinchu Pure Rice Vermicelli" from the Hsinchu County Farmers' Association is labeled as made from pure rice, yet testing revealed it contains 0% rice.
The Consumer Foundation commissioned the Taiwan Cereal and Food Industrial Technology Research Institute to conduct the rice content testing. Due to the shockingly low rice content, the testers initially thought there might have been an error. Lin Meixin, head of the testing group at the institute, explained that the price difference between rice flour (at least NT$20 per kilogram) and cornstarch (around NT$10 per kilogram) likely incentivized manufacturers to increase the proportion of cornstarch, making it difficult for consumers to discern the difference by appearance.
For example, the well-known brand "Longkou Natural Hsinchu Rice Vermicelli" claims over 90% rice content, but actual testing showed only 7% to 10%. Three products under Ming Hao Enterprise's "Nong Geng Brand Hsinchu (Chen) Rice Vermicelli" all contained less than 10% rice. Even "Organic Kitchen," which has counters in department stores, sells "Organic Brown Rice Vermicelli" with less than 10% rice content.
The "Taiwan Traditional Flavor Rice Vermicelli" from the Zhubei City Farmers' Association was found to contain only 9% to 12% rice. The "Hsinchu Pure Rice Vermicelli" produced by the Zhudong Regional Farmers' Association claims to be 100% pure rice vermicelli, but testing revealed only 13% to 18% rice content.
Most surprisingly, the "Hsinchu Pure Rice Vermicelli" from the Hsinchu County Farmers' Association was found to contain 0% rice.
Cai Shuzhen, head of the Food and Drug Administration's Food Division under the Department of Health, stated that national standards currently define "pure rice vermicelli" as containing 100% rice and "blended rice vermicelli" as containing at least 50% rice. However, there is no definition for the rice content of "rice vermicelli." As long as the labeling is not false, "just like how sun cakes don’t contain the sun, 'rice vermicelli without rice' cannot be penalized at this stage."
Chen Jianbin, Deputy Director of the Agriculture and Food Agency under the Council of Agriculture, also pointed out that the issue of insufficient rice content in vermicelli is complex, with the key problem being unclear product labeling, which betrays consumer trust.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E6……B% 9F% E6% 98% AF- 213000754. html;_ylt=AgLpmEFs9ReYku4TUyJ9MuOVBdF_;_ylu=X3oDMTRqZTJoYmx1BG1pdANTZWN0aW9uTGlzdCBGUCBMaWZlc3R5bGUgTUQEcGtnAzRkMTZlMGJkLWQ2MTAtM2RlYy05MDdjLTFiYjlmY2VhM2UyZQRwb3MDMQRzZWMDTWVkaWFCTGlzdE1peGVkTFBDQVRlbXAEdmVyAzAyMTA0MDQ4LTY5YjYtMTFlMi1iZGVmLTI4OTJmMjg3MmVmZQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTF2dGdnZWI3BGludGwDdHcEbGFuZwN6aC1oYW50LXR3BHBzdGFpZAMEcHN0Y2F0A.aWsOiBnummlumggQRwdANzZWN0aW9ucw--;_ylv=3