Questions are being raised over a draft approval by China's National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) to include gold foil as a food additive in Chinese liquor, as the agency seeks public feedback.

A document published on its website on January 28 says the NHFPC plans to allow the use of gold foil, using a specific manufacturing technique, as a new food additive. But it said the gold foil would only be used in baijiu, or Chinese liquor, with the maximum amount of 0.02 grams of gold per kilogram of liquid.

The document explained that in order to produce gold foil as a food additive, gold of 99.99 percent purity should first be vaporized before reorganizing its composition. It would come in the form of powder or leaves.

The document failed to state the reason for the proposal and the benefits of adding gold to baijiu products. It is seeking feedback from several agencies including the China Food and Drug Administration, the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as from the public, until February 20.

Ma Yong, the secretary-general of the baijiu subcommittee of the China National Food Industry Association, said the committee had just received the document, but he said he does not believe it is necessary to add gold foil to baijiu, which is fermented from grains, the Beijing Times reported. 

"We also have to see the applicant's rationale to request for the approval," said Ma.

Known as E 175, the European Union has approved gold foil as a food additive. EU regulations only authorize its use in decorations and external coatings for chocolates and confectionery, and in liqueur. It is also used in Japan, India and some Southeast Asian countries, among other places.

Traditional Chinese medicine uses gold as a drug. It is not a necessary ingredient in health products based on modern nutritional science.

A liquor store owner in Beijing's Chaoyang district told the Global Times that he sells gold foil baijiu from Taiwan and Japan, and the prices range between 300 yuan ($48) to 2,000 yuan per bottle. People buy them mostly as gifts, he said.

Yang Qingshan, the executive president of the China Brand Strategy Association and a baijiu expert, told the Global Times that some domestic companies started to make gold foil baijiu in the past few years, and the industry categorized it as "healthcare alcohol." With substantial research on its safety and possible benefits, as well as a certified technique, I see no problem. However, the move may cause controversy amid the country's sweeping anti-graft campaign over its price, Yang said.