Home / News Type Content Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Almost Half of China's Ice Cream Substandard
Adjust font size:

As the sweltering summer heat continues unabated, an ice cream or frozen lolly might seem hugely tempting.

But ice cream lovers are encouraged to be cautious.

According to an official sample survey conducted by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, about half of the ice creams or frozen lollies on sale are sub-standard.

After examining 76 ice cream products made by 71 manufacturers in 13 provinces and municipalities, the administration today announced that the overall approval rate for ice cream products in China is only 52.6 percent.

According to the survey, large ice cream producers including Wall's, Nestle, Mengniu, Yili, Sanyuan, Wufeng and Hongbailai have a better production record and are among the list of trustworthy producers posted by the administration.

The administration said that misleading labels is the biggest problem, accounting for 40.8 percent of all the samples.

Thirty-one products have a problem with their labels. Some producers fail to mark production dates, while others fail to inform customers of ingredients such as food additives or artificial sweeteners.

High microbe counts are another problem. Nineteen products had excessive amounts of coliform, a bacteria that ferments lactose. One product even contained 24.4 times the accepted standard. This is mainly due to poor sanitary conditions during production.

The third problem was the improper make-up of ingredients. Ten products' fat content failed to meet accepted standards.

Finally, there was the problem of excessive sweetening. It was discovered that some ice cream producers use artificial sweeteners as a substitute for sugar in order to reduce production costs.
 
According to the previous six official sample surveys, the approval rate of China's ice cream products has hovered around 60 percent.

(China Daily August 15, 2005)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Comment
Pet Name
Anonymous
China Archives
Related >>
- Ice Cream Check OKs Five Brands
- Häagen-Dazs Sorry for Substandard Operation
- No Double Standards for Food Safety
- Food Safety Under Tighter Supervision
- Survey: Food Safety Becomes People's Top Concern
Most Viewed >>
- World's longest sea-spanning bridge to open
- Yao out for season with stress fracture in left foot
- 141 seriously polluting products blacklisted
- China starts excavation for world's first 3G nuclear plant
- Irresponsible remarks on Hu Jia case opposed 
- 'The China Riddle'
- China, US agree to step up constructive,cooperative relations
- FIT World Congress: translators on track
- Christianity popular in Tang Dynasty
- Factory fire kills 15, injures 3 in Shenzhen

Product Directory
China Search
Country Search
Hot Buys