The Ministry of Health has published a list of 17 substances including acids and chemicals that have been banned as additives in food, AFP reported. The banned items include the insecticide and flame retardant boric acid, known to be used to increase the elasticity of noodles and dumplings, and formaldehyde, a disinfectant commonly used to improve the appearance of dried seafood. Though some of the items were already illegal, the list marked the first official compilation of banned food additives. The list’s publication comes in the wake of the dairy scandal in which milk powder laced with the chemical melamine resulted in hundreds of thousands of child illnesses and six deaths.