Pass or fail?

This post was updated on 2008.01.04.

The humble mantou, a type of steamed bread found all over northern China, may become the first wheat-flour-based staple to be subject to a national standard, reported Chinese media this week.

Here's the story from CRI, which reported in English on the original piece in Huashang Morning Post:

Steamed buns, a traditional Chinese dietary mainstay, will now be served according to detailed criterions, Shenyang-based newspaper the Huashang Morning Post reported on Thursday.

The basic national standards on steamed buns made of wheat flour, jointly authorized by China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine [AQSIQ] and the Standardization Administration of China, went into to effect on the first day of 2008, with more of its details to be published soon.

The first standards concerning flour products outside bakeries, the standards were two years in the making, the report said.

"The document defines a steamed bun based on its appearance, materials and packaging," said the company who initiated the draft of the standards. Steamed buns should take circular or crescent form with no folds and speckles, and should contain no more than 45 percent water, according to the definition in the standards.

The prospect of a national standard stipulating the appearance of a mantou amused many commentators, who felt that it was comical at best and wasteful at worst. Here's a selection of op-ed titles:

• Making a "national standard" for mantou is like using a cannon to kill a fly
• Excessive standardization of mantou is worse than no standard at all
• Would the government please leave room for "square mantou"!
• The confusion that started from a steamed bun (a reference to Hu Ge's spoof of The Promise)
• "Premature" national standard mantou are not savory
• Mantou, the "first joke" of 2008
• With the national standard mantou, the technocrats have given birth to a monster

And here's a typical example, from Bian Guangchun on China.com.cn:

This writer counts three areas for ridicule. First, a standard for wheat flour mantou is unclike standards for metals, instruments, or chemicals. Those standards are used for normalization and popularization in actual use; without a national standard, there will be problems when they're used together or replaced. A wheat flour mantou, on the other had, is a ready-to-eat food product. Setting up a national standard for that seems like overkill.

Second, the stipulation that a wheat flour mantou must be either round or crescent-shaped ends up harming the image of the Standardization Administration and the AQSIQ. There's nothing wrong with round or crescent-shaped mantou—if they're made flower-shaped then they're called huajuanr—but writing such fluff into a standard ends up trivializing the national standard itself.

Third, declaring a national standard for wheat flour mantou implies that standards for other wheat flour products and other types of food will be along shortly. Defining and issuing all sorts of standards will likely result in no one taking on responsibility or inspection duties for the standards, unless they are demonstrated to be backed with serious power. Mantou sellers may find the standards ridiculous for another reason: reportedly, Zhengzhou's "national standard mantou" are sold for 0.6 yuan apiece, probably the most expensive on the market there. "National standard mantou" gives an excuse to increase mantou prices. The mantou sellers laugh, so can we blame netizens for their outrage?

"Why do you get to be boss?"

The issue of branding and standardization was brought up by many commentators. Some were enthusiastic, and felt that standardization is necessary to fight the poor-quality and dangerous food products that abound in the unregulated marketplace. Others pointed out that there are already regulations concerning food ingredients and sanitation, so a standard won't be much use unless it receives stricter enforcement than existing laws.

Still other voices were concerned that a national standard is only easily implemented on packaged food—will this standard be the doom of small shops selling piping-hot mantou straight from the steamer?

And it turns out that the mockery may be misplaced. The full standard has not yet been released, but reporters who fact-checked the Huashang Morning Post report were told that nowhere in it is there a requirement for mantou shape. Here's a widely-circulated report from China.com.cn:

Director Zhu of the Standards Office of the Grain Bureau's Standards and Quality Center said that he had received notice this morning from the Standardization Administration and the AQSIQ, and when he saw the reports, "[he] thought it was comical. There were no such requirements in the standard."

He explained that those agencies were planning to have the primary drafters of the standard issue a press release to provide comprehensive, objective responses to the rumors floating around; the release would appear on government websites today at the earliest.

Reportedly, the standard for mantou is the only national standard to date for wheat-flour products (such as dumplings and baozi, but not including baked goods) and emphasizes "sensory qualities." It is composed of eight parts: scope, standard references, terms and definitions, classification, technical requirements, inspection methods, inspection standards, and packaging, storage, and transport.

The "terms and definitions" section will likely define the characteristics of the mantou to which the standard applies. We'll have to wait and see just what sort of misshapen steamed buns will be forced to find another name.

Update: The standard, GB/T 21118-2007, "Chinese steamed bread made from wheat flour" (小麦粉馒头) has been scanned and uploaded to the Internet by zwke, a food industry blogger. Here's a local PDF (968kb; note: page 2 appears twice).

The standard does not stipulate a standard mantou shape. Section 4.2 describes the sensory requirements:

4.2.1 Outward appearance: Completely intact; normal color; no wrinkles or divots, no yellow, grey, or black speckles, no fuzzy or sticky mold; contains no foreign substances.

4.2.2 Internals: Uniform makeup; elastic; spongy; no coarse holes, tough spots, traces of dry flour, or yellow alkali speckles; contains no foreign substances.

4.2.3 Taste: Unspoiled; does not stick to the teeth; not gritty.

4.2.4 Flavor and aroma: The particular flavor and aroma of flour that has undergone leavening and steaming; no peculiar odor.