China's beer industry, the most prolific in the world, on Wednesday struck back at media reports that 95 percent of domestically bottled beer contains formaldehyde.

The chemical, known to cause cancer, does play a part in the brewing process, but does not pose a threat to public safety due to the small amounts used, Xiao Derun, director of the beer department of the China Alcoholic Drinks Industry Association, told China Daily yesterday.

"Consumers need to know that the formaldehyde in beer is different from that used in household chemicals, and this confusion has scared people greatly," Xiao said.

Xiao explained that the normal process of beer production results in the creation of formaldehyde.

The fuss began on July 5, when the Beijing-based newspaper The Global Times printed a letter written by someone claiming to be a beer inspector working for an unnamed company.

The letter said many Chinese breweries were using formaldehyde as an additive, and the anonymous inspector wanted the public to know.

Accompanying the letter was an investigative report that quoted Du Lujun, secretary of the beer department of the China Alcoholic Drinks Industry Association, as saying that 95 percent of the country's beer contains the chemical.

According to Du, the letter alleged, breweries use formaldehyde because it is a cheap way of preventing the formation of sediment during storage.

Many other Chinese newspapers quoted the report in their pages to the alarm of beer drinkers across the country.

And the reports have also set alarm bells ringing overseas. On Monday the Korea Food and Drug Administration said it had decided to test Chinese beer imports for formaldehyde before allowing them to clear customs, and Japanese food authorities are reportedly following suit.

But, speaking to China Daily yesterday, Xiao branded the formaldehyde reports as "irresponsible." "It is utterly groundless to say this without explaining the facts clearly," Xiao said.

According to Chinese law, the amount of formaldehyde in regular beer may not exceed 2 mg per liter, and in "organic" beer it may not exceed 0.2 mg per liter.

There is no law that bans the use of formaldehyde in beer, Xiao added. Further, the association's annual nationwide survey did not find any domestic beer containing formaldehyde over the set limits, he said.

According to a China Business Times report, a 2002 survey of 19 domestic brands conducted by the National Food Quality Supervision and Inspection Center found the average formaldehyde content to be 0.31 mg per liter, a figure far below the prescribed national standard.

Big beer companies with a majority share of the Chinese market, including Tsingtao and Yanjing, have stopped using formaldehyde in favor of other additives to ensure the quality of their beer.

Xiao also highlighted a market survey that shows the formaldehyde content of imported beer to be similar to that in China.

(China Daily July 14, 2005)