User talk:XiaoxinGan/sandbox

Latiao (Chinese: 辣条,English: Spicy stick/spicy strip) is a popular snack in China. The main raw materials are wheat flour and chili. After adding water, salt, sugar, natural pigment and other surface, the flour was under the extruding high temperature in an extruder, then mixed with refueling, chili and other seasonings including the preservatives whose component should be according to the Chinese food additive Standard (GB2760).^[1]

origin of Latiao

Latiao(Spicy strip), originated in Pingjiang, Hunan. the industry is called it mianjin(Chinese:面筋), Pingjiang people are called it mala(Chinese:麻辣) because of Latiao is spicy at first. Latiao is a snack made from flour, which is cooked and seasoned, and is non-fried and spicy. Hunan Pingjiang has a long history of making dried sauce, spicy sauce and spicy bean curd. It is an important part of Pingjiang industry.
In 1998, a major flood disaster occurred in Hunan, which led to a serious loss of agricultural products. The main raw material soybean for sauce industry showed a large decline in production capacity, which directly caused a devastating blow to the dried sauce industry. In order to support the family, farmers urgently need a new way out. Under such circumstances, Qiu Pingjiang, Li Mengneng, and Zhong Qingyuan used flour instead of soy flour to improve the production process. Using single-screw extrusion machining, adding chili, pepper, cumin, sugar, salt, vegetable oil and other condiments, innovatively invented Latiao.

In 1990’, the Latiao firstly appeared in China, then quickly sought by the masses. At the beginning, it was only sold in small shops, while it rapidly raised with more and more types of unexceptionable business prospects, and it spent it a few years on being admitted to a large supermarket.^[1]

• Processing methods

When we bought a pack of Latiao, you will find lots of oil inside. These oilsare obtained by using the oil or fried ways into the processing, because adding the grease to match would enhance the taste of Latiao. Whereas, the quality of these oil is not easy to be monitored. Especially for the small workshops of the Latiao’s producers, the quality of the oil for their food produced is the worthiest of public reflection. The inferior as well as expired greases or repeated using of the oil could be carcinogenic.^[1]

• Spicy color

It is difficult for the simply pepper to create hot tempting, which requires the food additives, such as carmine to help. Actually, these food additives are allowed with strict norms of the using, while it is hard to control some small workshops.^[1]

• Production environment, unsanitary and other factors

In addition, those workshops sale some small packages of Latiao, low-cost and small scale, with cheap prices, in order to ensure the profits of all aspects. So, the production environment and the requirements of workers may not reach national standards, which could inevitably cause some security risks.^[1]

The unsanitary side of latiao (a spicy snack made from wheatmeal) was brought to light by the China Central Television in its annual “3.15” investigation program on Friday, which was the World Consumer Rights Day.^[2] Dust mixed with grease oozing from machines was seen at the production workshop of Latiao branded Xiachedan at Gaochang Village in Kaifeng City, Henan Province.The barrels were full of greasy dirt, and black stains were everywhere on the wall, CCTV showed in the program. Water barrels were covered by heavy dirt and the faucet was rusty.In addition, various additives were added to Latiao. More than 10 additives were seen on the ground.The additives were mixed and stirred before being added to Latiao. ^[2]

• At another latiao factory named Oufei in Tantougao Village in the same city, the machines were again found to be greasy. ^[2]
• At a factory making latiao for the brand Aiqingwangzi at Wangu Village in Yueyang City, Hunan Province, a worker could be seen taking gluten slices from the ground and then putting it into machines. ^[2]
• At the Weiquan Food Co in Futan Village in the same city, latiao was placed on dirty rags, while workers did not wear masks or gloves. They packaged latiao with their greasy hands, CCTV showed in the program. ^[2]

The Hubei Food and Drug Administration declared that according to the national standard of food additives for food safety (draft), sorbic acid and dehydroacetic acid should not be used in flavored flour products, therefore Latiao is not fit for human consumption.^[3] On May 14 this year, the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China drafted National Standard of Food Additives for food safety and soliciting public opinions. The solicitation has been closed, but the final standard has not been officially released.^[3] The event exposed the regulatory conflicts between the local and national standards for food additives. and makes Latiao products qualified food safety in Henan Province, but unqualified in other places.^[3]

The Latiao fervor came one month after it caught the attention of a British film crew, and in February, the BBC aired a three-part documentary on Chinese New Year celebrations in which the two presenters were seen roaming a typical Chinese snack street, Latiao in hand. ^[4] Min Quanlu, production manager of WL-Foods, a major latiao maker, said that the company used to package the snack by hand. until five years ago, when demand exploded. Now everything is automated. "We make 600 million yuan's worth of latiao each year and employ about 2,000 workers," Min said. "About 20 percent of our products are sold in the domestic market, and the rest goes overseas." ^[4]

on the network, there are a lot of popular catchwords about the Latiao, such as “to taste one Latiao and be calm down”, “I have the Latiao who would like to be my friend”, “bought a hundred packs of Latiao, I am just richer and wayward”, and so on, from which can be seen how much Chinese people love it.^[1] Latiao is popular used in meme