Salt with foot odor causes health concerns

Dangerous products found in several provinces since industry reform

Local salt authorities in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province have ordered a recall of all salt products allegedly containing “foot odor,” amid lingering health concerns over the problematic products months after China began the reform of the salt industry.

Salt authorities in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi, said Friday that they had already sent the salt products in question to quarantine departments after customers reported the salt they bought contained strong foot odor, the Chinese Business View reported Sunday.

The authorities also held discussions with the producer, a salt company named Shenying based in Central China’s Henan Province.

Shenying said the salt smells bad because of the ingredient butyrate, which it claimed is good for the digestive system.

However, the odor is abnormal, a professor on food safety surnamed Zhong told the Global Times on Monday, adding that the foot odor might come from sulfuretted hydrogen mistakenly mixed by the producer. Zhong added that sulfuretted hydrogen may have a negative effect on the central nervous system.

The Jiangxi quarantine department also tested some of the salt produced by Shenying previously and found that the salt was not qualified.

The salt produced by Shenying has also been distributed in other cities across China, including East China’s Anhui, Jiangxi and Shandong provinces and Northwest China’s Gansu Province since March, according to the report.

The Chinese Business View added that the salt produced by another company in Henan is also smelly.

The complaints about the “smelly salt” came after salt producers lowered their production standard following the salt industry reform, said Zou Jialai, a Shanghai- based lawyer who has represented private salt producers.

China’s State Council released a reform plan for the salt industry on May 5, 2016, in order to carry out an efficient allocation of resources in the salt industry and stimulate the market.

The reform, which took effect on January 1, 2017, allows all salt makers to set the price according to the cost, quality and market situation and wholesalers are allowed to operate across different regions in China.

Furthermore, the companies are encouraged to introduce modern ways of distribution, such as e- commerce, chain management and logistics, said the State Council.

Local food safety departments have taken many measures to ensure salt quality, and consumers should be more patient especially at the beginning of the reform, said experts.

Meanwhile, the National Development and Reform Commission is building a credit system for the salt industry, Wang Qiang, an inspector from the commission, told the People’s Daily in January.

“Any company which produced disqualified salt will be expelled from the industry for good,” said Wang.