The Shanghai Food and Drug Administration said yesterday it performs strict checks on the aluminum content in youtiao - deep-fried dough sticks - in response to an announcement by the Beijing Health Bureau that it found nine eateries using too much aluminum in the traditional food.

The Beijing bureau checked youtiao from 47 restaurants and fast food outlets recently and named nine offenders on Monday, including a Beijing outlet of the famous Yonghe King Co, the biggest traditional Chinese fast food chain in the nation.

Yonghe's officials said the company is investigating the cause of unqualified youtiao.

"The whole process of manufacturing youtiao is complicated. Any improper operation may result in problems," said Lu Weidong from Yonghe's headquarters in Shanghai. "Quality is important to us, so we send our products to food authorities for checks two or three times every year. This is the first time that we were scolded for a quality issue."

Medical experts said excessive intake of aluminum can damage the nervous system and lead to poor memory, trembling, dementia and organ damage.

(Shanghai Daily August 31, 2005)