Malaysia bans cancer-risk soy sauce
Soy, oyster and prawn sauces are popular in oriental cooking
Malaysia's food standards agency has blocked the sale of more than 20 types of soy sauce and other popular cooking sauces because they contain unsafe levels of 3-MCPD, which can cause cancer. The cooking sauces - many of them brands which are widely sold internationally - failed tests set by the British Foods Standards Agency (FSA) as they contained more than 20 parts per billion of 3-MPCD.
The FSA issued a warning to consumers about cancer-risks from soy sauce in June 2001 after testing 100 samples, of which 22 gave cause for concern.
In July, Malaysia's health ministry seized and destroyed 4,339 bottles of sauce worth 9,204 ringit (£1,687, $2,424) from 22 brands.
New sauce recipes
Further testing has now led to bans on 25 sauces -16 locally-made and nine imported - according to the Star newspaper.
Manufacturers will have to revise their recipes before being allowed to sell their products in Malaysia.
"The reviewed formula has to be submitted to the FQCD for confirmation before they are allowed to be sold," the ministry said.
The seized sauces were mostly manufactured in Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Most of the sauces were soy-based but bottles of oyster sauce and prawn sauce were also removed from markets.
International brands
The ministry has now adopted the British FSA's testing standard, together with a new system of certification, and notified the World Trade Organisation of its criteria.
The report did not specify which had been found to contain dangerous levels of 3-MCPD. Although the brands involved are internationally-recognised names, the bottles involved could be counterfeits.
The Universiti Sains Malaysia is carrying out tests on 508 products on behalf of the FQCD, and has checked nearly 400 so far.
Taken from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1492704.stm
Posted by: Sandy
The FSA issued a warning to consumers about cancer-risks from soy sauce in June 2001 after testing 100 samples, of which 22 gave cause for concern.
In July, Malaysia's health ministry seized and destroyed 4,339 bottles of sauce worth 9,204 ringit (£1,687, $2,424) from 22 brands.
New sauce recipes
Further testing has now led to bans on 25 sauces -16 locally-made and nine imported - according to the Star newspaper.
Manufacturers will have to revise their recipes before being allowed to sell their products in Malaysia.
"The reviewed formula has to be submitted to the FQCD for confirmation before they are allowed to be sold," the ministry said.
The seized sauces were mostly manufactured in Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Most of the sauces were soy-based but bottles of oyster sauce and prawn sauce were also removed from markets.
International brands
The ministry has now adopted the British FSA's testing standard, together with a new system of certification, and notified the World Trade Organisation of its criteria.
The report did not specify which had been found to contain dangerous levels of 3-MCPD. Although the brands involved are internationally-recognised names, the bottles involved could be counterfeits.
The Universiti Sains Malaysia is carrying out tests on 508 products on behalf of the FQCD, and has checked nearly 400 so far.
Taken from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1492704.stm
Posted by: Sandy
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