KUCHING, April 25: Taipei City Department of Health announced on Monday (April 24) that it had detected a carcinogenic or cancer-inducing substance in two types of instant noodles, namely Ah Lai White Curry Noodles from Malaysia and Indomie Special Chicken Flavour from Indonesia.
According to Taiwan News, investigations by the National Cancer Institute found that the two instant noodle products contained excessive levels of ethylene oxide which exposure to has been found to increase the risk of lymphoma and leukemia, as well as stomach and breast cancers.
Testing revealed that the seasoning powder in the Indonesian product was found to contain 0.187mg/kg of ethylene oxide, while 0.065mg/kg of ethylene oxide was found in the Malaysian product’s noodle cake and 0.084mg/kg of ethylene oxide was detected in its sauce.
The Taipei Health Department has also ordered the retailer from which the samples were collected to pull the two products off its shelves.
The importers of the products are also facing fines of NT$60,000 (RM8,700) and NT$200 million (RM29 million) for breaching the Governing Food Safety and Sanitation Act.
As per information provided on the website of the Toxic and Chemical Substances Bureau under the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration, ethylene oxide is poisonous when ingested or inhaled.
Aside from leading to lymphoma and leukemia, this chemical can cause severe skin and eye irritation for those who come into contact with it, and may even trigger birth and hereditary defects.
The department said the city’s instant noodles inspection was conducted by randomly selecting 30 products from supermarkets, stores, traditional markets, Southeast Asian food stores, general sales stores, and wholesale importers. Of the products tested, 25 were imported and five were domestically made. — DayakDaily
