***********************************************************
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (July 29) that three samples of ingredients for producing Taiwan-style drinks and a sample of a Taiwan-style drink were found to contain a plasticiser, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). The CFS has instructed the vendors concerned to immediately stop supply of the products concerned. The trade should also stop using those ingredients at once.
A spokesman for the CFS said, "During the follow-up investigations regarding the two plasticiser-tainted Taiwan-style drinks announced on Tuesday (July 26), the CFS took three samples of concentrated juice for making the drinks at the ingredient supplier of the shop concerned, Kios Enterprise Limited. All of the concentrated juices sampled, in peach, kumquat lemon and lychee flavours, were imported from Taiwan.
"Test results showed that the samples contained DEHP at levels between 4.9 parts per million (ppm) and 15 ppm, exceeding the action level of 1.5 ppm adopted by the CFS."
He said, "Dietary exposure estimation showed that, upon consumption of the three samples of concentrated juice (after dilution according to instructions provided by the supplier), the exposure to DEHP by average consumers (i.e. daily consumption of about 190ml of the drink) and high consumers (i.e. daily consumption of about 410ml of the drink) would not exceed the safety reference value, i.e. the tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 0.025mg/kg of body weight under the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, which will not pose a risk to human health."
Nevertheless, the spokesman noted, as a precautionary measure, the CFS had instructed Kios Enterprise Limited to immediately stop the sale of all batches and all flavours of concentrated juices from the same manufacturer. The CFS noted that the company has initiated recall of the products concerned and has surrendered all the remaining stocks for disposal. The trade should also stop using the affected products at once.
Another sample detected with plasticiser is a mango juice, which was collected from Taiwan-style drinks shop B&W Drink. It was tested to contain DEHP at a level of 26 ppm, far exceeding the CFS's action level.
The drink sample was collected for testing while CFS staff were conducting surveillance checks at local retail outlets on the five categories of high-risk food products (sports drinks; fruit juice; tea drinks; fruit jam, fruit nectar or jelly; and food in tablet, capsule or powder form) and on other relevant food products in response to the plasticiser contamination incident in Taiwan.
The spokesman said, "Dietary exposure estimation on the sample showed that the exposure to DEHP by average consumers (i.e. daily consumption of about 190ml of the drink) would exceed the TDI under the WHO guidelines, which may pose a risk to human health upon long-term consumption."
The CFS in the meantime is tracing the ingredient supplier of the drink and will take samples for testing.
The spokesman said, "In response to the recent spate of cases in which plasticiser-tainted drinks were found being sold at some local Taiwan-style drinks shops, the CFS is now actively contacting the persons-in-charge of similar drinks shops, reminding them to take all necessary measures to ensure that the products they offer for sale are not contaminated with plasticisers and are in compliance with local legislative requirements. The measures include checking with the supplier the source of the food ingredients as well as whether the ingredients have been tested and certified to be free of plasticisers.
He said, "Apart from urging the trade to initiate suspension of the sale and use of any products suspected to be contaminated by plasticisers, the CFS will also step up sampling of Taiwan-style drinks for testing.
"Should the level of plasticisers detected exceed the action level adopted by the CFS, it will immediately instruct the shop concerned to stop selling the products. The CFS will also mark and seal the products and ingredients concerned, conduct follow-up investigations and take appropriate enforcement actions."
Ends/Friday, July 29, 2011
Issued at HKT 20:34
NNNN
