Gold in food not worth its weight in health

Is it necessary to add powdered gold to liquors? Should powdered gold at all be used as a food additive? And won't consumption of gold in any form harm human health?

Such questions are still haunting the public despite an official agency issuing a statement to clarify a National Health and Family Planning Commission's draft seeking people's feedback by Feb 20 on the use of powdered gold as food additive.

The draft published on the commission's website says powdered gold will be used only in distilled spirit, or Chinese liquor, with the maximum amount being 0.02 gram per kilogram of liquid. It, however, does not say why gold needs to be used as an additive in liquors or the benefits it will bring, forcing some people to suspect that liquor companies might have "pressured" the health authorities into making the decision in order to maximize their profits.