Advertisement
Hong Kong society
Hong KongHealth & Environment

Potential carcinogens found in almost 90% of instant noodles tested by Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog

  • Consumer Council detected 3-MCPD and glycidol, potential cancer-causing substances, in 17 out of 19 samples tested
  • It urges manufacturers to use ingredients with fewer contaminants to improve product safety and safeguard consumer health

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
11
The consumer watchdog has found that almost 90 per cent of instant noodles tested contained carcinogenic contaminants. Photo: Edmond So
Cannix Yau

Almost 90 per cent of instant noodles tested have been found to contain potential carcinogenic contaminants, Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has said, urging the industry to reduce production of harmful substances to safeguard public health.

In a study published on Thursday, the Consumer Council revealed it had detected potential cancer-causing chemicals 3-MCPD and glycidol in 17 out of 19 samples of pre-packaged fried and non-fried instant noodles tested along with their seasoning packets and toppings.

Three types with seasonings containing palm oil – Kung Tak Lam Vegetarian Noodle (Mushroom), Meadows Tom Yum Flavour Instant Noodles and Mamee Pepper Noodles – were found to have levels of contaminants exceeding European Union (EU) limits for their relevant vegetable oils.

The first two contained 3,100 ug/kg of 3-MCPD, while the third had 5,111 ug/kg of glycidol in its seasoning.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified 3-MCPD as a “possible human carcinogenic” and glycidol as a genotoxic experimental animal carcinogenic.

Advertisement