Philippines urged to recall ‘cancer-causing’ Korean noodles

CHEMICAL watchdog EcoWaste Coalition called on the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to also follow the recall order of the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) over Korean noodles found positive for a cancer-causing substance.

Similar actions have already been made by Chinese, Taiwanese, Hong Kong authorities as the group said there is no reason for the Philippines not to pull out the items from store shelves.

“We request our local FDA to look into this food safety issue and take appropriate action,” said EcoWaste Coalition's Project Protect Aileen Lucero in a statement.

Last week, the KFDA announced the recall of nine types of instant noodles, including six products manufactured by Nongshim Co. Ltd., after detecting concentrations of benzopyrene in the powdered seasonings.

EcoWaste’s call was made after they were able to purchase some of these products, namely: Mild Neoguri, Spicy Neoguri, Neoguri Cup Noodles (small), Saewootang Cup Noodles (large), and Seng Seng Udong from local Korean stores.

The benzopyrene-containing noodles were found being sold in Korean specialty stores, particularly in Makati City and Quezon City.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Toxicity and Exposure Assessment for Children’s Health (Teach), benzopyrene is “a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) that is a byproduct of incomplete combustion or burning of organic items, e.g., cigarettes, gasoline, and wood, and is commonly found with other PAHs in cigarette smoke, in grilled and broiled foods, and as a by-product of many industrial processes.”

The US EPA classifies benzopyrene as a probable human carcinogen based on studies in several adult animal species demonstrating that the substance can increase the incidence of tumors.

Similarly, EcoWaste also called on Korean shop owners to immediately return the remaining stocks of the “potentially-cancerous” products to the manufacturers. (HDT/Sunnex)