“Market surveillance authorities in Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province, urge food distributors to separate betel nut from other products and foodstuffs for sale”announces the daily Shanghai Daily, relaying information from the financial site Yicai. In China, the issue of the consumption of betel nuts – or areca nuts – is taken seriously by the authorities.
The betel palm fruit is highly prized in many Asian countries for its stimulant effects and appetite suppressant quality. Betel quid is nonetheless considered addictive and carcinogenic: it is thought to be responsible for cancers of the mouth and esophagus, as well as gum problems and mouth ulcers.
“This stimulant is considered the most addictive substance in the world after tobacco, alcohol and caffeine. Some consider that its consumption is the health problem ‘most overlooked’ in the world”, insist Shanghai Daily, which puts forward the figure of 60 million regular consumers in China.
Prohibition of advertising
In 2019, authorities in Hunan province banned advertising promoting betel nut, despite the windfall represented by the industry – a market worth 30 billion yuan (just over 4 billion euros). ) in 2017. At the time, Shanghai pure player Sixth Tone was performing a report in this province in the center of the country, documenting cases of cancer. The site wrote as follows: “The fight against the betel nut industry is in many ways reminiscent of the fight against cigarettes in the United States half a century ago.”
According Shanghai Daily, national authorities took over from Hunan in September 2021 and “have banned all advertising for betel nut […] on television, radio and the Internet due to its carcinogenic effects”.
By establishing a clear separation with food products, the consumer authorities of the city of Yiwu have not completely banned betel nut: the products will theoretically still be available in separate stalls. According Yicai however, the measure was far from being respected. Many businesses still exhibited these products in the food departments on Tuesday, September 20.