Authorities in Beijing removed batches of 60 types of flavored flour products found to contain illegal preservatives and excessive amounts of food additives.

Of these products, 53 originated from Henan Provinces. Guancheng District in capital city Zhengzhou is the production site for 36 of the substandard flour products, according to The Beijing News yesterday.

Flour products from Guancheng District have been on Beijing's authorities' weekly removal list on numerous occasions. The Beijing Food Office has urged Guancheng District supervision authorities to tackle the problem.

During a recent campaign, Beijing's food safety authorities targeted the illegal addition of food additives. Officials checked food stores and wet markets in the outskirts and rural areas of Beijing.

Other products that fell foul of Beijing watchdogs came from Sichuan Hebei, Shandong, Hunan and Liaoning provinces and Chongqing Municipality.

Major problems with the foods included: the abuse of sweeteners; the illegal use of preservatives such as benzoic acid, banned from flour products; and the abuse of coloring agents, officials said.

Officials said the long-term intake of such foods can be harmful. Excessive intake of benzoic acid can cause liver damage.

Beijing food safety authorities said they will enhance monitoring on wholesale markets in rural areas, wet markets and grocery stores in communities.

According to the newspaper, most unqualified products from Zhengzhou's Guancheng District were produced by private companies and factories.

Beijing watchdogs have banned 51 food companies from seven regions from the capital's market due to repeated violation of food safety rules.