Recently, different versions of a video questioning whether "seaweed is made of plastic" have been circulated on the Internet and WeChat Moments, which has caused many consumers to doubt: Is seaweed really made of plastic? Why is seaweed so hard and difficult to chew? In response to the content of the video, experts from the China Food Rumor Refuting Alliance directly said "impossible"; and the Jinjiang Seaweed Processing Industry Association, which is the location of China's key seaweed production base, issued a solemn statement on February 21, saying that confusing seaweed with plastic is a low-level common sense mistake, and "we have reported this malicious defamation of seaweed products to the public security organs."

Video circulated on the Internet questioning whether seaweed is processed with plastic

In recent days, the Beijing Times reporter WeChat Moments received some videos forwarded by some friends questioning whether seaweed is made of plastic. Although the video versions are different, the content of each video is basically the same, pointing to certain specific seaweed brands, some pointing to "Aibo" brand, and some pointing to "Lehui" organic seaweed. Some media reported that there are many versions of similar videos.

In these videos, the basic content is that someone took apart the "seaweed" they bought in the kitchen, took out a few pieces and soaked them in water, saying that they couldn't pull them apart and couldn't chew them when eating, so they judged that they were made of waste plastic.

This video that looks very "close to life" has been forwarded by many netizens who don't know the truth. A reporter from the Beijing Times also received an inquiry from an elderly consumer, hoping to understand the truth of the incident.

The association stated that this was a malicious defamation incident and had reported it to the police

As the video continued to spread, many seaweed companies in Jinjiang felt that the situation was serious, including Ayibo, Delicious Qiang, Xianzhihui, Fu Guangjia and other companies, which issued statements to refute the rumors. In addition, the above-mentioned companies also issued various relevant certification documents, product inspection reports, etc., and used a media video report to explain that many years ago, the media had confirmed that the "plastic seaweed" was a pure rumor.

However, the company's proof still cannot prevent the spread of the situation. On February 21, the Jinjiang Seaweed Processing Industry Association urgently issued a joint solemn statement signed by dozens of member companies.

The statement said: "Recently, it was discovered that some people, for some purpose, released videos suspected of infringing on our city's seaweed industry through WeChat, Weibo and other platforms, maliciously fabricating false content such as "seaweed is made of plastic". More than a dozen versions have been found, and they are still being filmed and uploaded, which seriously misleads consumers, causes panic among consumers, and has a bad social impact. This behavior has caused serious damage to the economy and reputation of our city's seaweed industry."

The statement said: "The laver products we produce strictly implement the food safety standards stipulated by the state. The raw materials and production are subject to a strict quality control system. There is no so-called "plastic laver" or any quality and safety issues at all. It is a low-level common sense mistake to confuse laver with plastic. Laver, like many vegetables, has slightly different taste and toughness due to different harvest times, so it can be eaten with confidence. We have reported the malicious defamation of laver products to the public security organs. We will seriously investigate the legal responsibilities of the fabricators and rumor spreaders of this video and will never tolerate them. Consumers are also requested not to believe in rumors or spread false information. We welcome people from all walks of life to visit Jinjiang laver manufacturers for guidance, and will continue to produce nutritious, high-quality, safe and reliable products to serve consumers."

Why does laver look like "plastic"?

As for the question of why laver looks like "plastic", the heads of some laver companies in Jinjiang made the following judgment in an interview with the Strait Metropolis Daily: "Laver with end water" has a hard texture and may cause misunderstanding.

"The quality of laver is different at different growing periods of the year. The last laver picked, known as the "last water laver", is often very old, and its texture is relatively hard, and it is difficult to chew." Professor Lu Shunsheng of the School of Food Safety of Shanghai Ocean University said that in addition to the growth and picking period of laver, it is also related to their varieties. Laver is mainly divided into jar laver and striped laver. Jar laver is relatively thick and has better elasticity; while striped laver is relatively thin and more brittle.

"In addition to the harvesting season, the quality of laver is also related to the breeding production area, water quality, color of laver, shape of laver, etc. For example, the laver from the first three waters of Zhangpu, Zhangzhou is better than the first water laver from most other production areas." Song Zejing, general manager of Jinjiang Delicious Food Co., Ltd., which has been specializing in the production of laver for more than 30 years, pointed out that the quality of laver is different at different times of the year. The last laver picked, known as the "last water laver", is often very old, and its texture is relatively hard, and it is difficult to chew. If you eat laver that is hard and difficult to chew, it may just be that the quality of the laver is not good.

Experts say that it is too expensive to process laver with plastic

As for whether the laver in the video is made of plastic, Zhong Kai, an expert of the China Food Rumor Refuting Alliance and a doctor of food safety, also directly denied it in an interview with the media: "The product in the video is crisp when dry and becomes soft when exposed to water. Plastic does not absorb water, so it cannot be made of plastic."

Zhong Kai said that the so-called "problematic laver" in the video can be pulled thinner after being soaked, has toughness, good light transmittance, and uniform color. From the perspective of process production alone, such things can be made of plastic, but good raw materials are needed, and the cost will be relatively high. From a cost perspective, it is better to make such a film into a plastic bag, which will make more profit.

"The taste of laver is related to the variety, climatic conditions, production environment, hydrological conditions, etc., and more importantly, the harvest time." Zhong Kai said that laver grows in the intertidal zone of shallow seas. At present, the output of pure natural laver is small, and most laver is artificially planted in shallow seas. The two varieties that people are more familiar with are Porphyra haitanensis and Porphyra yezoensis. Relatively speaking, the former has a harder and tougher taste and is often made into round discs, which are mostly used for laver soup; the latter is generally used as laver sheets.

Why does the laver in the viral video look like it can't be pulled apart? Zhong Kai introduced that the growth period of laver is from September to October every year to March to April of the following year. It is generally harvested once every half a month. In the jargon, it is called one water, and the later water is called two water, three water, four water, etc. The first water tastes tenderer, and the later the harvest period, the older the taste. The laver in the video is difficult to tear, in addition to the reasons such as low soaking water temperature or short time, it is also very likely that it is a product harvested later.

Zhong Kai suggested that if consumers need to buy high-quality laver products, they should try to choose compliant channels.

It is understood that the China Food Rumor Refuting Alliance was jointly initiated and established by Xinhuanet and industry associations with the support of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Office, the State Food and Drug Administration, the Ministry of Agriculture, etc. (Reporter Hu Xiaohong)

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