China has been facing numerous food safety crises from the shocking Sanlu tainted milk powder incident that shook the country, to the scandal of oil tankers mixing industrial oils with edible oils. Veteran media figure Liu Ge recently revealed in a video that everyday staple food ingredients such as salt, cooking oil, and seasonings hide “invisible threats,” warning consumers to be vigilant against the “killers in the kitchen.”
Through short video platforms, Liu Ge, a senior health manager and media personality, disclosed that Chinese families generally lack vigilance against potential health risks in their daily diet.
Liu Ge emphasized that prolonged intake of unknown substances or inferior products in the three core food ingredients of salt, seasonings, and cooking oil could ultimately lead consumers into a “kitchen-pharmacy-hospital” risk loop.
She particularly warned consumers about abnormal phenomena in some commercially available salt products, such as “excessive whiteness, bitter taste, and sandy texture,” which are highly likely to be related to the illegal addition of bleaching agents, anticaking agents, and other substances.
In the realm of seasonings, she revealed that many seemingly harmless products are actually filled with various chemical additives, flavor enhancers, color fixatives, and stated, “The more complicated the ingredient list, the further the product is from natural materials, and the more caution is needed.”
Regarding the edible oil industry, Liu Ge cited disclosures from industry insiders indicating that commonly seen products like salad oil, blended oil, rice bran oil, and corn oil often involve the excessive use of solvent extraction processes and repeated extraction of raw materials. These oil products are predominantly sourced from “leftover materials,” severely deviating from promises made by businesses about “cold pressing” or “physical pressing.” Even if labels clearly state “pressed,” there could be the misuse of chemical solvents to extract oil following industry standards, then subjected to repeated processing to remove odors and colors—a severe misleading practice for consumers.
She also reminded consumers to be wary of potential hidden chemical components and pseudo-healthy concepts in everyday staples such as milk and flour.
She suggested that family diets should return to the basics and minimize the intake of chemically added substances. When purchasing food, consumers should be extra cautious, avoiding overly refined, overly processed products, and even those containing genetically modified ingredients.
Liu Ge stressed that every choice made in the kitchen directly affects the health of family members, and consumers can only distance themselves further from the “pharmacy” and “hospital” by raising awareness, consuming rationally, seeking professional guidance, and accessing transparent information.
In fact, food safety issues have long been a persistent problem in China, not only directly harming consumer health but also seriously undermining public trust in food safety regulatory authorities.
In 2008, the Sanlu Group milk powder scandal exposed the presence of the chemical melamine, causing nearly 296,000 infants to develop kidney stones, with around 53,000 needing hospitalization.
However, even after the Sanlu incident, food safety problems continued to emerge. In 2011, products from Mengniu Dairy were found to contain aflatoxin M1 levels exceeding 140%, and Fujian Changfu Dairy’s pure milk also exceeded the limit by 80%.
In July 2024, the Beijing News exposed a shocking incident involving oil tankers transporting edible oils after unloading coal tar products without cleaning the tanks, subsequently loading soybean oil for transportation. This scandal implicated multiple large edible oil companies.
Recently, in Gansu, the lead poisoning incident at a nursery school in Tianshui shocked the public. Over 200 toddlers were found to have excessive levels of lead in their blood, with initial official explanations attributing it to the use of paint pigments in the nursery school kitchen. However, there were public reports alleging the proximity of the nursery to a lead and zinc transfer station owned by a state-owned enterprise called Yinzhong Group. A similar incident occurred in 2006 linked to lead smelting pollution.
In response to these continuous food safety incidents, it is essential for consumers to remain vigilant, demand transparency from food producers, and prioritize their health by making informed and cautious food choices.