HK watchdog found carcinogenic substances in soy sauce samples
The Hong Kong Consumer Council has found a possible human carcinogen in 11 of 40 soy sauce samples they have tested. The substance, called 4-methylimidazole, is thought to cause cancer if consumed in large amounts.
Soy sauces and seasonings are common condiments in Chinese dishes, but more than one in four samples tested by the council were found to contain the chemical compound, including those from popular brands such as Yu Pin King and Tung Chun.
The chemical was identified as a possible human carcinogen by the World Health Organisation, however experts claim that the chances of it causing the disease in humans are very low.
“Hongkongers consume soy sauce almost every day,” said Consumer Council Chief Executive Gilly Wong Fung-han, urging the Centre for Food Safety to look into the matter and regulate the amount of 4-methylimidazole allowed in food, taking reference from other countries.
Hong Kong has no current standard for safety and quality of soy sauces and seasonings. But, for example, in California, the law requires businesses to put a warning on product packaging against consuming more than 29 micrograms of 4-methylimidazole per day, the council said.
That amount was found in roughly 2 mlor under half a teaspoon of the soy sauce sample produced by Yu Pin King and 7 ml of Tung Chun’s King’s Dark Soy Sauce in the test.
The presence of the possible carcinogen in the soy sauce is attributed to a common practice of intensifying the color of the product. Manufacturers often add caramel colorings to soy sauces during the browning process. The ingredients were found to contain a contaminant of 4-methylimidazole.
The use of certain types of caramel colorings in food and beverages has been under increasing scrutiny in recent years, as researches found “clear evidence of carcinogenic activity in animals” due to the intake of 4-methylimidazole.
However, Wong Ka-hing, associate director at Polytechnic University’s Food Safety and Technology Research Centre said a man would need to consume at least three liters of soy sauce per day to reach the level required for cancer in the animal test.
“The reason that Hong Kong does not have such regulations is probably because the risks are extremely low,”Wong said, adding California was the only state in the US to have such regulations.
When assessed by Taiwan Soy Sauce Standard, only one in four tested samples in the city reached its highest Grade A level, while 10 failed to meet the lowest requirements – with four of them produced by local brand Amoy.
The Food and Safety Centre said it was studying the soy sauce samples from the survey, and would follow those which failed to comply with current regulations.Customs said all the trade descriptions written on the packaging – including whether the soy sauces are “naturally brewed” or not – must correctly describe the product in question.
The 11 samples found to contain the possible human carcinogen are: Kwong Cheong Thye (Light Soya Sauce Best), Yummy House (Premium Soy Sauce), Konig (Excellent Soy Sauce), Tung Chun (King’s Dark Soy Sauce), Tai Hua (Dark Soy Sauce), Pearl River Bridge (Golden Label Superior Dark Soy Sauce), Yu Pin King (Premium Dark Soy Sauce), Pearl River Bridge (Seasoned Soy Sauce For Seafood), Tung Chun (Seafood Soy Sauce), Imperial Banquet (Sweet Soy Sauce), Yummy House (Premium Soy Sauce – Chili).
Category: Features, Health alert
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