Some fresh looking shrimp sold in the city are dipped in caustic
soda to make them look healthier, which could be harmful to
dinners, the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration warned
yesterday.
FDA officials are warning people to be cautious when buying
shrimp in seafood markets. The administration admits, however, that
it is almost impossible to tell which shrimps have been dipped in
caustic soda with the human eye. It isn't taking any steps to have
the government outlaw the process, however.
Dipping shrimp in caustic soda can make them look fatter and
glossier, a process that has been quietly used in China for
decades.
While the caustic soda makes the shrimps look nicer, it also
destroys the taste and some of the nutrients in the crustaceans.
The shrimps will also lose their luster, shrink and give off a
strange smell when they are cooked.
The FDA said treated shrimp will sometimes make people feel like
they have pins and needles sticking in their mouths when eating
them.
"Now we dare not sell caustic soda shrimps in public or we'll be
fined. But you may leave me an address and I'll send the products
to you tomorrow," a female vendor at the Hengda Aquatic Product
Market in Pudong told an undercover reporter yesterday.
She said most of the treated shrimps are imported from
neighboring provinces and many small restaurants in the city buy
them regularly.
"Of course eating these shrimps will do harm to the human body,"
said Dr Li Mingyue from Baogang Hospital. "As caustic soda is an
alkaline, it can burn the inside of the esophagus and stomach."
"There are two kinds of caustic soda, the edible and the
industrial. Edible caustic soda is permitted to be used in
manufacturing aquatic products," said Gu Zhenhua, director of the
FDA. "But some people use industrial products because they are
cheaper."?
According to Gu, it's hard to distinguish if the shrimps are
dipped in edible or industrial caustic soda.
"We can only suggest people pay more attention to those
especially good-looking products when choosing shrimps," said
Gu.
(Shanghai Daily March 21, 2006)