A Chinese exporter in South China’s Guangdong Province on Tuesday denied the charge that its soy sauce products might cause cancer, saying that its products, with the brand name of “Zhujiangqiao” (Pearl River Bridge), had been counterfeited.
Guangdong Foodstuffs Import and Export (Group) Corporation (GFIEC), the owner of the brand, also said it would look into the case.
“The counterfeiters, whose illegal activities have impaired the intellectual property rights of Pearl River Bridge and the reputation of GFIEC, must be held responsible,” vowed Chai Shujie, spokesman from the corporation.
Last month, the British Food Standards Agency alleged that Chinese soy sauce products contain high levels of 3-MCPD, a chemical suspected of being linked to liver cancer.
The British food watchdog tested 100 soy sauce products imported from Asia and regions such as the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore, and found the 3-MCPD content of 22 products were higher than European quality standards.
Four products labeled as “Pearl River Bridge”, which were fake according to the GFIEC, were on the list of unsafe sauces.
The fake products are much different than the real ones in both quality and packaging, the corporation said.
On the labels of the counterfeit goods, the producers were listed as another Chinese exporter unrelated to Pearl River Bridge.
Counterfeiters even made mistakes in writing the name of the products, which should be “Superior Light Soy Sauce.”
The GFIEC also pointed out that the authentic products are made in accordance with traditional Chinese recipes and do not harm human health.
The British Food Standards Agency also tested five authentic Pearl River Bridge sauces, according to the corporation.
“All were found qualified,” Chai said. Since 1999, the corporation has been sending its products to authoritative institutions in China and the United Kingdom, and all have passed examinations.
Pearl River Bridge is an internationally renowned brand created 45 years ago, and has been well accepted by more than 80 countries and regions worldwide.
Last year, up to 13 million tons of Pearl River Bridge soy sauce were exported, accounting for half of the soy sauce export volume in Guangdong Province.
The British research results, after being exaggerated by irresponsible tabloids, have caused panic among the British.
Asian producers have hit back sharply at the claims. In response, the British Food Standards Agency has admitted that some reports in the British media had misunderstood the results and misled consumers.
(China Daily 07/05/2001)
