Economic Daily-China Economic Net, Beijing, August 17th. On the 17th, the media reported that "carcinogens were detected in a variety of milk powders in Hong Kong" affected the hearts of countless "baby parents". On the evening of the same day, the Hong Kong Center for Food Safety clarified on its social page that according to the relevant reference values of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the Expert Committee of the World Health Organization, all milk powder did not exceed the standard. The public can rest assured that the recommended amount of milk powder is given to babies.
According to the recent test results of infant formula milk powder announced by the Consumer Council of Hong Kong on the 17th, 15 milk powder samples were found to be contaminant chloropropanediol (3-MCPD), and 9 models were found to be carcinogenic glycidol. Among them, there are many well-known brands such as Wyeth, Mead Johnson, Abbott, and Meiji.
According to the notice, the Consumer Council found that all 15 milk powder samples contained the contaminant trichloropropanediol, with an amount ranging from 13 to 120 micrograms per kilogram. The highest content of "BELLAMY'S ORGANIC" contains 120 micrograms of propylene glycol per kilogram of milk powder. At the same time, nine samples were tested to contain genotoxic and carcinogenic glycidyl esters (GE). The sample with the highest content was "Xueyin", but it was below the 50 micrograms per kilogram limit set by the European Union.
The Consumer Council pointed out that in recent years, it has been found that the gene carcinogen glycidyl alcohol is found in the form of glycidyl esters in palm oil and infant formula milk powder and other food materials, all of which are produced when vegetable oils are refined at high temperatures. "Glycidyl alcohol is genotoxic and carcinogenic. It is generally recommended to reduce the intake from food as much as possible," said the Consumer Council.
However, the Center for Food Safety stated that the EU standard referred to by the Consumer Council is the "health reference value", that is, the recommended daily intake limit for infants, and is not a regulatory standard for infant formula.
"In fact, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and other places have not formulated regulatory standards for the use of chloropropanediol and chloropropanediol fatty acid esters in infant formula milk powder." According to the relevant reference value of the organization and the WHO Expert Committee, all milk powder does not exceed the standard, so the public can rest assured and give the baby the recommended amount of milk powder.
In this regard, relevant companies involved in this matter have responded. A company told a reporter from Economic Daily-China Economic Net that the product is within the latest recommended limit value for the fatty acid esters of chloropropanediol by the FAO/WHO-Food Additives Joint Expert Committee, and is lower than the European Commission's 2018 Regulatory restrictions on glycidyl esters.
"All of our infant formula milk powder products comply with local laws, regulations and standards, and the product quality is up to standard and can be eaten safely and securely." A person from an enterprise told reporters.
In addition, the Consumer Council detected trace amounts of lead in all 15 milk powder samples. The highest content of the sample "meiji" was 0.01 mg per kg, but it complied with the Food Adulteration (Metallic Impurities) Amendment Regulation 2018 and the Codex Alimentarius Commission The upper limit of the standard is believed to pose no risk to the health of infants and young children.
At the same time, the Consumer Council also emphasized that infant formula milk powder is not a common commodity, but an important food that affects the long-term health of babies. "In order to improve the safety level of infant formula milk powder, the government needs to closely monitor international developments, review and consider introducing relevant food safety standards and regulatory arrangements in Hong Kong in due course," said the Consumer Council.