On December 20th, Southern Black Sesame Group Co., Ltd. (Southern Black Sesame Paste) announced that the black sesame paste produced by the company contains 18.5% black sesame, fully compliant with national standards. However, the formula of “Southern Black Sesame Paste” has sparked controversy among netizens.
According to a live report by Jiangsu TV, on December 17th, a netizen posted that the first ingredient listed in the packaging ingredient label of Southern Black Sesame Paste is not black sesame, but grain coarse flour, followed closely by edible glucose and maltodextrin, with black sesame only ranking fourth. The netizen mockingly suggested renaming the product “Southern Rice Paste” since the content of grain flour and sugar is higher than black sesame.
On December 20th, company personnel responded to the mainland media “21st Century Economic Report” that the packaging shown by the netizen is the old packaging of the product. In the new packaging, grain coarse flour ranks first, and black sesame ranks second. For the 600-gram packaging of black sesame paste, the black sesame content is 18.5%, fully complying with relevant national standards.
Following this announcement, it has garnered significant attention from many netizens, with over a thousand comments on Tencent.
Many netizens complained that the percentage of black sesame is too low. “Feng Qingyang” said, “Is it reasonable that 18.5% black sesame content meets the national standard?” Some netizens expressed that as long as there is sesame inside, it is acceptable.
This topic has also brought back memories of many netizens’ childhood when they used to eat sesame paste.
“I Am Here” mentioned, “The black sesame paste in my childhood was truly fragrant. Nowadays, it’s hard to describe, all just skirting the national standards. National standards are the lowest standards, and the country should raise the level of food safety. Nowadays, companies have no conscience; whenever problems arise, they claim it meets the national standards. Quickly raise the quality standards of food, sigh.”
Tencent user _6dvt37 also commented, “The taste from childhood is long gone. I remember it being rich with sesame aroma, but now it’s all sweetness and a taste of technology.”
“Fumansz” added, “Before, it felt like drinking with a rich sesame fragrance, but in recent years, it has become dilute, and then I no longer want to drink it.”
Public information shows that the “General Rules for Black Sesame Paste Quality” is a recommended national standard issued jointly by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Management Committee of the People’s Republic of China on July 24, 2024. The standard has been implemented since August 1, 2025.