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A new testing method that detects the chemicals in hotpot seasonings could be put into practice, according to an official in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality. The method, which can detect 76 kinds of chemicals in hotpot seasonings, has already been approved by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine as a future national standard for hotpot seasonings tests, said Wang Guomin, deputy director of the technological center from the entry-exit inspection and quarantine bureau in Chongqing. Tainted hotpot ingredients have topped national concerns over food safety in recent years, but the detection of coloring agents like Rhodamine B and pesticides have long been difficult because of the mixture of ingredients. "The new test technology would be groundbreaking as it provides a speedy test solution to supervision authorities," Wang said. Hotpot seasoning was added to the country's food safety blacklist at the end of 2010 after local media in Anhui and Jiangsu provinces reported illegal uses of additives to improve color and flavor. On March 26, the State Food and Drug Administration called for intensified regulation of catering businesses with their own hotpot seasoning, beverages and flavorings. Liu Yi, a hotpot restaurant owner in the municipality's Yuzhong district, believed the new testing method would not affect local hotpot restaurants as supervision by authorities are already harsh enough. | 
