By Gabriela Baron
Specific variants of Filipino instant noodle brand Lucky Me! are safe for public consumption, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Friday, July 15.
In an advisory, the FDA said it coordinated with local manufacturers of the brand to “determine the levels of ethylene oxide in the food products” after several countries in the European Union (EU) earlier alerted the presence of the chemical in Lucky Me!
Ethylene oxide, FDA explained, is used as treatment against the microbiological contamination of some spices and dried aromatic herbs like sesame seeds.
Citing international alerts, FDA said “the contaminated product does not pose an immediate risk to health,” however, exposure to the substance should be minimized as “there may be health issues if there is continued consumption of ethylene oxide over a long period of time.”
The FDA stressed that the affected batches containing ethylene oxide were manufactured in Thailand and were not locally produced and distributed in the Philippines.
Further, based on the tests conducted by an independent laboratory in Vietnam, ethylene oxide was not detected in the samples of the following variants: Pancit Canton Extra Hot Chili, Pancit Canton Regular, Pancit Canton Chilimansi, and Instant Mami Beef Regular.
“However, ethylene oxide was found in the Lucky Me! Pancit Canton Kalamansi variant at a level below the EU acceptable level of 0.02 [milligram per kilogram],” FDA said.
“In this regard, the FDA will study this matter to determine the appropriate risk management strategy in consultation with other government agencies, like the Department of Agriculture,” the agency added. – ngs
