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food / travel

Eggs In Wine? Some Vintners Add Fish Too


EUROPE 1
(France)

"May contain egg protein" or "contains traces of milk." Not exactly what you'd expect to read on the label of a wine bottle. But starting July 1, wine sold in Europe will come marked with exactly this kind of information.

The move follows a European directive aimed at informing consumers of the presence of allergens in alcoholic drinks, Europe 1 reports. What does any of this have to do with wine? A lot apparently. Things that can be added to grape juice during the winemaking process include egg and fish proteins, fish skin collagen, caramel and oak wood. The additives help winemakers modify the taste, appearance and conservation characteristics of their product.

But some of these ingredients can also provoke allergies. According to the European Food Safety Authority, about 0.3% of adults are allergic to products made from eggs and 1% are allergic to milk proteins.

"Less than 10% of the wine bottles should be concerned by the measure," says Marie-Madeleine Caillet, vice-chair of the French Enologist Union. Nevertheless, the new rule will make wine-makers' lives more complicated, as they already have to mark their bottles with a preventative logo for pregnant women, plus mention the presence of sulfites - in about 10 languages. The other option, of course, is to change the way they produce their wine.

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LGBTQ Plus

'MTF' Alarm, Why Life Is Crueler Than Ever For Trans Women In China

Cast out by family, discriminated against by the state, shut off from the medication, China's "male-to-female" trans community is under immense pressure, as suicide rates rise and incomprehension continues to spread.

People walk towards a temple in the rain, wearing pride flags

Pride under the rain

Liang Yutong

BEIJING — Another MTF has committed suicide in China: born in June 2009, she was not yet 14. MTF is an acronym for "male-to-female," a term used by transgender women in China to identify themselves on online platforms.

Although the World Health Organisation announced in 2019 that "transgender" would be removed from the International Classification of Diseases, the transgender community in mainland China has had to continue to endure pressure and abuse from the state, society and families. Transgender women have a disproportionately high rate of suicide in China.

One of the dangers that MTFs face is their medication being cut off. The drugs, including those containing oestrogen and anti-androgens, are the only way for the MTF community to maintain their femininity before undergoing gender affirming surgery. A number of trans women have openly shared their experiences of being deprived their medication, and being in constant fear of returning to a gender they do not belong to. This can lead to serious depression and other mental problems, that sometimes winds up with suicide.

Under the harsh restrictions on purchasing drugs in mainland China, MTFs often have to contact underground drug dealers, and that too often means being sold fake drugs. There was even a case reported of a transphobic man who deliberately sold high-priced fake drugs to MTFs, which caused dangerous side effects.

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