The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) said in a statement that the recent discovery of ethylene oxide in two types of instant noodles could be “just the tip of the iceberg”.
“Other processed food and food ingredients in the market could be contaminated with the carcinogen,” said its president, Mohideen Abdul Kader.
He said ethylene oxide, historically used as a disinfecting fumigant by the food industry, had been banned in many parts of the world, including the European Union, since 1991 due to its highly toxic nature.
“In spite of its toxicity, countries like Canada, the US and India still allow ethylene oxide to be used as a fumigant in applications relating to food, making cross-contamination common, especially during storage and transportation.”
Furthermore, Mohideen also called on the health authorities to entirely prohibit the use of ethylene oxide as a fumigant by the local food industry.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Taipei’s health department found ethylene oxide in a batch of “Ah Lai White Curry Noodles” from Malaysia and a batch of “Indomie: Special Chicken Flavour” noodles from Indonesia.
The chemical compound is associated with lymphoma and leukaemia, and is poisonous when consumed or inhaled. It can seriously irritate the skin and eyes of anyone who comes into contact with the substance and even triggers birth and hereditary defects.
The department said testing revealed that ethylene oxide was detected in the noodles and flavour packet of the Malaysian product but in only the flavour packet of the Indonesian product.
The retailer from which the samples were collected has been asked to pull the two products off their shelves, and the products’ importers will be fined between NT$60,000 (RM8,700) and NT$200 million (RM29 million), the department said.
Mohideen added that the Taipei health department’s discovery was not the first time the chemical had been detected in food products.
“Last October, the health ministry announced that ethylene oxide residue was detected in a few flavours of Mi Sedaap, a product of Indonesia.
“In August 2022, the ministry recalled vanilla-flavoured Häagen-Dazs ice cream products as they were found to be contaminated with the chemical,” he said.