The Food Commission’s story and press release are factually inaccurate.
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To read the press release, click here.
The FSA published details of findings of 3-MCPD in foods in February. The Food Commission received the details and was invited to a meeting to discuss the survey with consumer groups and industry. The Food Commission did not attend and has not provided any views on the survey to the FSA or the relevant expert committee.
The Food Commission asserts that over twice as much 3-MCPD is getting into our food supply from UK-made food in comparison to soy sauce. This is misleading. What matters is actual dietary intake for people. For example, you would need to eat around five regular sized packets of crackers a day to exceed safety guidelines, but less than ¼ of a teaspoon of the most contaminated soy sauce. It is highly unlikely that anyone would eat that many crackers, but we know that some people will easily consume much more than that that amount of soy sauce every day.
The Food Commission ignores that fact that soy sauce is a regular part of the diet of many people from east and south east Asia. Long term consumption of contaminated products puts them most at risk from the harmful effects of these chemicals. This makes for a particular risk that is not comparable to that which consumers may face in relation to a range of other products with lower levels of 3-MCPD.
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By GlobalDataThe highest levels of 3-MCPD found in a non-soy sauce product, crackers, was 134 mcg per kg. The highest level of 3-MCPD found in soy sauce was 93,000 mcg per kg, 700 times higher. The legal limit for 3-MCPD coming in next year will be 20 mcg per kg. The safety guideline on daily intake is 120mcg per 60 kg person per day.
The Food Commission suggests that there is one law for soy sauce companies and another for others. This is not true. There will be a legal limit for 3-MCPD next year because there is sufficient data available to make a judgement on. It is also known how 3-MCPD gets into soy sauce: through the production process. Standards can then be set. With other foods there is not enough data yet: just 300 samples and 3-MCPD was found in only 89 of these.
The Food Commission asserts that there should be protection for consumers from bad manufacturing wherever the food comes from. The FSA agrees. The UK is leading EU wide work to obtain further information. This is due to report in March 2002 and will lead to other legal limits being set. Other products are not being ignored. The FSA has also commissioned research into causes of 3-MCPD. It appears to have been present in food for as long as food has been cooked and processed. Only recently have scientists been able to detect it reliably.
The Food Commission exaggerates the problem with soy sauce and gets its figures wrong. It refers to ‘the cancer-causing chemical found in soy sauce’, when it is only some soy sauce products that have been found to be contaminated. It claims that 32 soy sauces were found to contain 3-MCPD when in fact the Agency’s survey found that just 22 out of 100 samples contained 3-MCPD.
To view related research reports, please follow the links below:- Contaminants in Foodstuffs – Volume 1 |
