Ministry orders impure candy to be destroyed

Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Health has ordered that all candies found to contain impure powdered calcium carbonate (CaCO3) must be destroyed.

Factories making the sweets will also be fined and lose their food hygiene
and safety certificates.

These moves follow a report that three candy production units in Hoai Duc
district, Hanoi , had failed to meet hygiene and safety standards,
according to Deputy Minister of Health Cao Minh Quang.

The makers, Phong Lan, Phuc Thanh Khang and Thanh Xuan candy companies,
used the powder in candy production that did not meet the purity standard
for additives.

Calcium carbonate, an additive used in some types of food production,
causes no harm to people's health if it is of high quality, according to
Ministry of Health.

However, tests from the National Nutrition Institute showed that the
powder used by some candy production units in Hoai Duc had a purity level of
95.5-96.7 percent while the minimum standard level was 98 percent.

According to a candy producer, calcium carbonate has been used because it
is cheaper than other ingredients that could be used, such as rice flour.

Under regulations set by the Ministry of Health, calcium carbonate is used
as an additive in the production of 11 kinds of food products, including
seafood, wine, and fruit juice, but candies are not on the list.-Enditem