COMPLAINTS: Companies had urged the agency to reclassify the gas so they would not be fined for using sulfites, but critics say the idea is misleading

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 26, 2018
By: Wu Liang-yi and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

Medical professionals and food safety experts have decried a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposal to legalize sulfur dioxide as a food additive, with one calling it meaningless and potentially misleading.

Sulfur dioxide is an allergen that could cause stomach and bowel irritations or in severe cases trigger asthma attacks, physician Yan Tsung-hai (顏宗海), a clinical toxicology specialist at Linkou Chang Gung Medical Hospital, said on Saturday.

Sulfur dioxide is an unintended chemical byproduct from sulfites, legal additives commonly added to preserved foods for freshness and color, said Hsu Tin-chen (許庭禎), a professor of food science and technology at Taiwan National University.

Their comments came in response to the FDA’s announcement on Wednesday of its revised food safety regulations, which are set to take effect within 60 days after a period of public comment.    [FULL  STORY]