According to the "National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives" (GB 2760-2024) issued by the National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation, starting from February 8, 2025, sodium dehydroacetate (dehydroacetic acid and its sodium salt) will no longer be used for 7 types of food such as bread, pastries, fruit and vegetable juices (pulp), and the maximum usage in pickled vegetables will be adjusted from 1 g/kg to 0.3 g/kg. So, why did the new national standard adjust the scope and amount of use of this food additive? Is eating food with added sodium dehydroacetate harmful to health before? Sodium dehydroacetate is a common food additive that has a good inhibitory effect on yeast, mold, and spoilage bacteria. It has been approved by many countries in the past few decades and widely used in food to extend its shelf life. Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center, introduced that there are generally two reasons for re evaluating a food additive: first, new evidence has been found in terms of safety, which requires re evaluation; Secondly, there is a change in the structure of food consumption. When the consumption of a certain type of food increases from less to more, it is necessary to consider whether the accumulation of a certain food additive will exceed the safety limit. The results of relevant animal experiments show that repeatedly consuming large amounts of sodium dehydroacetate may cause problems such as reduced feeding, weight loss, decreased coagulation ability, and changes in liver and kidney tissues in animals. Professor Fan Zhihong from the School of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering at China Agricultural University believes that such animal experiments cannot prove that consuming small amounts of this additive in humans will have the same harm, but often lead people to impose stricter limits on the additive. For example, the consumption of baked goods has significantly increased in recent years, so the content of food additives needs to be reconsidered. Relatively speaking, the consumption of pickled vegetables is not high, so the maximum limit has only been reduced. Experts say that food safety pursues "minimizing risks as much as possible". As the domestic food consumption structure changes, the use of food additives will also be adjusted accordingly to prevent potential problems. Zhang Jianbo, Director of the Standards Department Three of the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center, said that the revision of the regulations on the use of sodium dehydroacetate was made based on the results of the food safety risk assessment and research on the actual use of the industry. Sodium dehydroacetate, whose intake determines safety, has been used in the food industry for a long time. Many people are concerned: Will eating foods containing sodium dehydroacetate affect their health before? Ruan Guangfeng said that sodium dehydroacetate is not "banned" and is still allowed to be used as a food additive. This indicates that the risk assessment results show that the rational use of sodium dehydroacetate is still safe. At present, countries such as the United States, Japan, and South Korea still allow the use of sodium dehydroacetate in some foods, but have different regulations on the specific content. In addition, food safety experts explain that whether a substance can harm health is closely related to its single intake and frequency of consumption throughout the year. Fan Zhihong said that sodium dehydroacetate can be metabolized in the human body. Relevant experimental data shows that sodium dehydroacetate is not classified as a highly toxic component in toxicology. Animal experiments have found its harmful effects to be the result of long-term, repeated, and large-scale consumption. People generally consume less than 1/10 of the harmful amounts found in experiments, so there is no need to worry too much about health risks. (New Society)