By Entorno | 2023-09-06

SANTIAGO -- Chilean health authorities in early September launched a campaign of inspecting several Chinese-owned supermarkets that were selling imported food without the proper permits or labels.

The increasing popularity of Chinese food in Chile has led to increased scrutiny of Chinese-owned supermarkets in the capital city. These supermarkets offer a wide variety of affordable foods that are new to many Chileans.

Curious consumers and those looking to save money on their everyday meals are driving demand for a variety of Chinese foods in Chile, including turtle meat, instant noodles and soups, seaweed and sauces.

"We need to be aware that some of these products are very cheap and accessible," said Cecilia Sepúlveda, president of the College of University Nutritionists of Chile, in an interview with Mega television. "You have no idea what's in the" foods that are replacing healthy products with proper labeling because the information is in Mandarin, she said.

Another area of focus for authorities is the high consumption of sweets and soft drinks by minors. These products are often high in sugar and calories and can contribute to obesity and other health problems.

"We see a colorful drink, but when we read the label, we don't know what's in it. We don't know if it has sucrose, or if it's sweetened with an artificial sweetener, calorie-free or not, and whether it's allowed in Chile," said Sepúlveda.

Labels in Chinese

The Regional Ministerial Secretariat of Health (Seremi) in Santiago has inspected more than 300 stores in 2023, following complaints about food being sold without the proper labeling required by Chilean health laws.

Seremi pointed out that not knowing the name of the product, its weight or volume, nutritional table, ingredients, origin or even its expiration date, represents a risk to the health of Chileans.

In this sense, merchants who sell food without the corresponding labeling in Chile risk fines of up to $70 million, in accordance with the Chilean Food Labeling and Advertising Law.

Gonzalo Soto, regional ministerial secretary of health in Santiago, stressed that the responsibility for ensuring that food products imported from China are properly labeled "lies with the importers and marketers of these products."

He said that the health authorities will not tolerate products that could pose a risk to public health being sold on the market.

In March, Danisa Astudillo, a member of the Health Commission in the National Congress, submitted a request to the Ministry of Health to inspect food products of Chinese origin that are sold in Chile. Astudillo expressed concern about the lack of nutritional information on these products and the potential risks they pose to consumers' health.

Potential health risks

The representative of the Socialist Party of Chile (PS) for the Tarapacá region considered that the sale of food products without labeling in the country is a matter of public interest due to the “potential impact it could have on the health of the population.”

"We know that people are interested in eating and consuming products that have an Asian origin," said Astudillo. "But it is important that these products have clear labeling that reports the amount of things they contain, such as fat, sodium, and other nutrients. This is important for people to make informed decisions about what they eat."

As of 2023, Chilean authorities have initiated 260 judicial investigations into various food-importing establishments, mostly Chinese-owned supermarkets.

In addition to the legal investigations, the Chilean health authorities are also carrying out an awareness campaign aimed at consumers. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of being careful when purchasing food products that lack detailed nutritional information.

The challenge of food products from China that are not labeled in Spanish is not new. However, it has become a matter of great relevance because of the increasing import of food from China to South America.