CCTV News reported that in recent years,A pink-colored "rose salt" that is claimed to be "purely natural, non-polluting" and "rich in minerals" has become popular on the Internet. With its good looks and healthy marketing, it has become a high-end salt in the eyes of many consumers. However, what is its true identity and safety for consumption?
"Rose salt", also known as Himalayan rock salt, is produced from salt mines in the Himalayas of Pakistan. On online platforms, many merchants attract consumers with slogans such as "Original from Pakistan", "Contains 84 kinds of trace elements" and "Healthier". The price can be 6 to 10 times that of ordinary table salt, and some stores have sold tens of thousands of pieces.
However, experts point out that "rose salt" does not meet my country's national standards for edible salt. Hou Dianzhi, associate professor at the School of Food and Health at Beijing Technology and Business University, said that according to the national standard "GB/T5461-2016",Edible salt must meet the requirements of "white color, salty taste, and no peculiar smell", and the whiteness should not be less than 45 degrees. However, the natural pink appearance of "rose salt" no longer meets this requirement.
In addition, although merchants claim that it is rich in a variety of minerals, the content of these trace elements is extremely low, and it is unrealistic to consume "rose salt" to supplement nutrition.
In fact, "rose salt" is a special kind of sea salt that was formed during geological movements in the Himalayas about 280 million years ago. Seawater combines with minerals under high temperature and pressure underground to form rock salt, and the impurities contained in it make it appear pink. At present, the Himalayan rock salt imported into our country is mainly used in industry, salt bath products, handicrafts or animal husbandry fields, rather than for direct consumption.
So, how does the "rose salt" sold on the market flow into the country? It is understood that "rose salt" that does not meet my country's edible salt standards mostly enters the domestic market through cross-border e-commerce channels.
Customs supervision depends on its declared purpose: if it is declared as edible salt, it must comply with national standards, but it cannot be legally imported because the color is not up to standard; if it is declared as industrial salt, it does not need to undergo statutory inspection of edible salt, thus creating a certain regulatory gap.
At present, most of the "rose salt" sold on e-commerce platforms are cross-border purchasing agents. According to law, they are not allowed to be sold in offline physical stores, and consumers must be clearly informed that the products originate from overseas and do not meet Chinese standards.
Sun Juanjuan, a researcher at the Food Safety Governance Collaborative Innovation Center of Renmin University of China, pointed out that cross-border e-commerce products currently do not need to comply with my country's national standards and are equivalent to "overseas direct purchases", and there are certain regulatory challenges.
It is worth noting that with the release of the "Opinions of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council on Further Strengthening Supervision of the Whole Chain of Food Safety" in March this year, relevant departments are advancing and improving the supervision system for cross-border e-commerce retail imported food. The circulation and management of such goods may be further standardized in the future.
