Associate Professor Yi-chen Lo Education Bachelor, Department of Food Science, Fu Jen Catholic University (1991) Master in Nutrition and Lipid Metabolism (1993) PhD, Graduate Institute of Clinical Biological Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, PhD (2002) Currently Associate Professor, Graduate Institute of Food Science and Technology, NTU

2) Graduate Institute of Food Science and Technology,
     NTU

Time: April 20, 2014
Location: Graduate Institute of Food Science and Technology, NTU

Introduction

From the interview with Prof. Lo, we learnt that the main problem for food safety in Taiwan is adulteration, such as faulty labeling or illegal additives. Another problem is consumers’ knowledge in food safety. Besides price and expiration date, consumers should also check the ingredients and packaging. The method to eradicate the food safety problem is education, supervision and reporting mechanism upon national policy. NTU Graduate Institute of Food Science and Technology has two contributions in food safety, one is to research and develop the standard for food safety for reference of the government on policy making. The other is to set up “food cloud” app aimed at the source of the vegetables and fruits and increase the functions of tracing the production record of vegetables and fruits. So, consumers can find out the sources of the food.

Q1. Some people say that we should eat more natural food and less processed food. Some foods are added with salt to avoid the growth of microorganism and extend the preservation period. It is said that food will generate Vitamin B group during fermentation, and some pickled vegetables are rich in Vitamin C. How should we consume these processed foods? (Wei-tse)
A1. Actually some foods can be eaten only after processing, for example, the additive in the sausage is not pigment, but nitrite that can kill the Botulinum. But currently there is the problem of adding too much sugar, salt and preservative in processing, so it is of course better to eat the natural food. I think everyone should have correct food safety concept to check not only expiration date but also the ingredients and brand before purchase.

Q2. There are currently many food safety issues, is there any way to eradicate the problem? (Yin-cheng)
A2. The method to eradicate the problem is through national policy. First, government officials should receive continuous education on food regulations and inspection methods. The government should hire experts from the food industry to provide education and training. Second, manufacturers should be inspected and supervised regularly. The “food cloud” set up by the government puts pressure on the manufacturers, a “food production certificate” must be issued for the produced food. Third, food safety education should be provided to the public of all age levels. For students, food safety education can be included into the curriculum. For the consumers, regular seminars can be provided to enrich the knowledge and develop the correct concept. A platform should also be provided for the consumers to report suspicious food in the market. By combining the above mechanisms, we can eradicate the problems.

Q3. Many fruit drops are labeled with additive of edible pigment. How edible pigment is made? How to define them? (Shu-han)
A3. Pigment is generally divided into two types, natural and artificial. Natural pigment is extracted from food, for example, some ice creams are made with crushed fruits, so that there is natural pigment. M&M chocolate is labeled with natural red or yellow pigment, which is also natural. The making of fruit drops is complicated, either artificial or natural pigment is fine, as long as it is within the permissible threshold.

Q4. For the current food safety problem, will NTU Graduate Institute of Food Science and Technology provide new standards on food inspection to the government for the public? (Shu-han)
A4. Actually the main problem for the food safety in Taiwan is adulteration, such as faulty label or illegal additives. It should be inspected by the government. NTU cannot voluntarily conduct food detection because it can only be done by governmental authorities. At present, some universities can conduct detection, like Hungkuang University in Taichung. NTU has not applied or passed as a food detection unit. Some of our professors are specialized in food detection, for example, the analysis conditions of cis-butenedioic acid in starch and gossypol in the oil are developed by one of our faculty. Therefore, what we can do now is to research and develop the research standard, and then submit it to the government.

Q5. There are many fruit preservation methods, in addition to freezing and refrigeration, what are the other preservation methods? What are the advantages and disadvantages of these preservation methods? (Jie-sheng)
A5. The preservation methods vary for different fruits. Generally, refrigeration is better, and freezing is not suggested. After freezing, the moisture in the fruits will be frozen, which will destroy the fruit tissues, and the fruits will become rotten. If the fruits have been cut, they can be frozen. So each type of fruit has different preservation methods.

Q6. What is the influence of this institute on agricultural reform? Do you research and develop “organic toxic-free agriculture”? (Hui-yu)
A6. We set up a “food cloud” app aimed at the source of the vegetables and fruits, and tracing the production record of vegetables and fruits, so that consumers can know the origin of the food. We do not research “organic toxic-free agriculture”, because Taiwan is an island with limited planting area, and the inspection standard is not so strict as overseas. The horticulture department may study this field.

Q7. For the food safety problems in Taiwan, how do we enhance the emphasis on food safety from the public? (Tsung-chun)
A7. This is a very important question. We should check the label first before purchase, and read the expiration date and ingredients. We should avoid purchasing expired food. Parents should also pay attention to the additives on the label. The recent food safety problems involve faulty labels, which have existed for a long time. As it is a public concern, the government should strictly specify the label content. In terms of food safety, food poisoning is the most dangerous, which may occur at school, restaurants, and home. At school and restaurants, we should not eat the food with bad taste; at home, we should pay attention to the food treatment and preservation. Another danger of food safety is improper storage of seafood, which may cause food poisoning and allergy. It is also important to wash hands before eating. Food safety problem is now common in Taiwan. As many consumers shop at supermarkets with lower prices. When the manufacturers try to make more profits, they may use cheap alternatives. Of course, we hope that the government can establish and modify the regulations for food safety management including launching a reporting system. Consumers should report and remind the manufacturers not to sell the expired food or the packing is damaged or expanded, because microorganism and bacteria breeding are generating air inside. Remember, don’t just look at the price, but also the expiration date and packaging.

Q8. As a professor in food science, how do you choose and prepare the food you eat? (Tsai-chen)
A8. Of course, home-cooked food is the best. Many people know that some food is not healthy, but still cannot help eating it. We should eat less unhealthy food, occasional eating is fine. In terms of nutrition, to stay healthy, we should control diet, control weight and exercise. Actually it is good to eat snacks. A British research showed that when we eat at least one black chocolate everyday, our anti-oxidation capacity will be improved. The most important is that fruits cannot replace vegetables, so we should eat more vegetables.

Conclusion

After the food safety crises in 2014, the government and public have drawn wide attention to food safety. Through our interview with Prof. Lo, we learned more about food science, which answered our questions in food safety. Most importantly, we learned some common senses about food safety in our daily life. Through the simple explanation of Prof. Lo, we know that the seemingly delicious foods are indeed traps because they may contain pigments to look better, chemical additives to prolong storage, or artificial flavors to taste better. The best method to stay away food safety problem is to enjoy the natural taste of food and avoid excessive consumption no matter how delicious it is.