Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
2011-05-23 【CNA】
The little-known Yu Shen Company used the carcinogenic plasticizer DEHP to adulterate the food additive "clouding agent," severely harming major downstream clients like Famous Industrial. The Department of Health (DOH) analysis suggests that unscrupulous businesses cut costs for cheap, resulting in "one bad apple spoiling the whole barrel," tarnishing the reputation of well-known beverages.
The DOH's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today stated that clouding agents function similarly to surfactants, making liquids easier to emulsify and preventing oil-water separation, thereby creating a cloudy visual effect in clear liquids. They are often added to sports drinks and fruit juices as a legal food additive.
Clouding agents are typically formulated from a blend of ingredients such as gum arabic, emulsifiers, palm oil, and sunflower oil. The DOH speculates that Yu Shen Flavors Co., Ltd. replaced some more expensive ingredients with DEHP to achieve the cloudy visual effect, reducing the cost of the clouding agent. However, DEHP is not a food additive at all but a plasticizer with potential carcinogenic risks.
DEHP, or di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, is a plasticizer commonly used in plastic materials. It can be found in certain food containers, plastic bags, cling film, cosmetics, and PVC erasers.
Taiwan's Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has classified DEHP as a Category 4 toxic chemical substance, meaning "chemical substances that may pollute the environment or pose risks to human health." The DOH stipulates that the migration limit of DEHP from plastic food containers must not exceed 1.5 ppm, and it must not be added to or detected in food.
Countries have set DEHP intake limits at 1.2 to 8.4 mg per day for a 60 kg adult. Some animal studies have found DEHP to be potentially carcinogenic, and certain epidemiological studies suggest a strong correlation between DEHP and abnormalities in the human reproductive system.
According to Taiwan's Industrial Product Information Network, Yu Shen is a small company with registered capital of only NT$5 million and six employees. Downstream clients' sports drink products used only small amounts of the problematic clouding agent supplied by Yu Shen. Now, 16 products have been implicated due to DEHP detection, requiring removal from shelves and sealing, with severe damage to their reputations.
The DOH is taking the Yu Shen DEHP violation seriously, referring the case to prosecutors for investigation. It will also update the list of affected manufacturers and products every afternoon to ensure consumers do not ingest DEHP-contaminated beverages. 1000523
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ r……/ 110107/ 112011052301249. html
2011-05-23 【Broadcasting Corporation of China News / Li Hexi】
Changhua prosecutors and police have uncovered unscrupulous manufacturers adding "carcinogenic plasticizers" to "clouding agents," with tens of thousands of tons already distributed to over 30 downstream manufacturers, producing various beverages and jellies, posing widespread harm. Prosecutors do not rule out expanding the investigation into suspicious distribution channels, following the precedent set by the "melamine" scandal.
Chen Defang, Chief Prosecutor of the Changhua District Prosecutors' Office, stated that clouding agents are a type of emulsified flavoring primarily used to create a cloudy, uniform, and viscous appearance in legal sports drinks, jellies, yogurts, and other products. The standard ingredients are pectin or palm oil. However, due to high costs, unscrupulous domestic manufacturers allegedly used a toxic plasticizer (DEHP, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate), which costs five times less but is classified as hazardous by the Environmental Protection Administration, as a substitute for clouding agents. This substance may damage the liver, cause cancer, or lead to fetal deformities.
Chief Prosecutor Chen Defang emphasized that after multiple investigative efforts, authorities seized 127 barrels of suspected toxic plasticizer-laced "clouding agents," along with 46 types of suspicious food raw materials (powders and syrups) totaling nearly 10,000 kilograms, and account books from Yushin Technology in New Taipei City and two downstream manufacturers in Changhua County. Given the extensive harm posed by the beverages and food products involved, prosecutors may expand the investigation into the suspicious distribution of these toxic substances, following the model used in the "melamine" case.
Chief Prosecutor Chen Defang noted that so far, investigations have covered major wholesalers and beverage/food manufacturers downstream of Yushin Company. Preliminary findings indicate that around 16 manufacturers and over 30 product categories may be contaminated with toxic plasticizers. The seized sales and inventory records have been handed over to the Department of Health, requiring all affected products to be immediately removed from shelves nationwide for testing and recall.
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ p……0206345/ 132011052301220. html
2011-05-23 Central News Agency
The Taichung City Health Bureau stated today that in the case of illegal plasticizer additives in food, the detected plasticizer content in beverages ranges from approximately 7.8 to 34.1 ppm. The daily tolerable intake for adults is 1.2 to 8.4 milligrams, meaning that consuming just one bottle of some beverages could exceed the limit.
The Health Bureau noted that beverages found to contain the plasticizer DEHP have been required to be removed from shelves by manufacturers. They urged related businesses to take them off the shelves as soon as possible and advised consumers not to consume them.
According to the Health Bureau, the internationally tolerable daily intake of DEHP is 1.2 to 8.4 milligrams for a 60-kilogram adult, and the content per kilogram of beverage should not exceed 1.2 to 8.4 milligrams. Some of the beverages found to contain plasticizers come in 1000cc (1 kilogram) bottles, with detected levels exceeding the standard—consuming just one bottle a day would surpass the limit.
The Health Bureau further explained that among the beverages testing positive for plasticizers, the plasticizer content in single bottles sold on the market ranges from about 7.8 to 34.1 ppm. Regulations prohibit the addition of plasticizers to food, and according to the "Hygienic Standard for Food Utensils, Containers, and Packaging," the allowable migration limit for plasticizers in plastic materials is below 1.5 ppm.
Source: http://life. chinatimes. com/ life/ 130518/ 132011052301182. html
Carcinogens in Clouding Agents: Cost-Cutting Harms Reputation
The little-known Yu Shen Company used the carcinogenic plasticizer DEHP to adulterate the food additive "clouding agent," severely harming major downstream clients like Famous Industrial. The Department of Health (DOH) analysis suggests that unscrupulous businesses cut costs for cheap, resulting in "one bad apple spoiling the whole barrel," tarnishing the reputation of well-known beverages.
The DOH's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today stated that clouding agents function similarly to surfactants, making liquids easier to emulsify and preventing oil-water separation, thereby creating a cloudy visual effect in clear liquids. They are often added to sports drinks and fruit juices as a legal food additive.
Clouding agents are typically formulated from a blend of ingredients such as gum arabic, emulsifiers, palm oil, and sunflower oil. The DOH speculates that Yu Shen Flavors Co., Ltd. replaced some more expensive ingredients with DEHP to achieve the cloudy visual effect, reducing the cost of the clouding agent. However, DEHP is not a food additive at all but a plasticizer with potential carcinogenic risks.
DEHP, or di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, is a plasticizer commonly used in plastic materials. It can be found in certain food containers, plastic bags, cling film, cosmetics, and PVC erasers.
Taiwan's Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has classified DEHP as a Category 4 toxic chemical substance, meaning "chemical substances that may pollute the environment or pose risks to human health." The DOH stipulates that the migration limit of DEHP from plastic food containers must not exceed 1.5 ppm, and it must not be added to or detected in food.
Countries have set DEHP intake limits at 1.2 to 8.4 mg per day for a 60 kg adult. Some animal studies have found DEHP to be potentially carcinogenic, and certain epidemiological studies suggest a strong correlation between DEHP and abnormalities in the human reproductive system.
According to Taiwan's Industrial Product Information Network, Yu Shen is a small company with registered capital of only NT$5 million and six employees. Downstream clients' sports drink products used only small amounts of the problematic clouding agent supplied by Yu Shen. Now, 16 products have been implicated due to DEHP detection, requiring removal from shelves and sealing, with severe damage to their reputations.
The DOH is taking the Yu Shen DEHP violation seriously, referring the case to prosecutors for investigation. It will also update the list of affected manufacturers and products every afternoon to ensure consumers do not ingest DEHP-contaminated beverages. 1000523
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ r……/ 110107/ 112011052301249. html
Prosecutors Trace Toxic Plasticizer Flow Using Melamine Model
Changhua prosecutors and police have uncovered unscrupulous manufacturers adding "carcinogenic plasticizers" to "clouding agents," with tens of thousands of tons already distributed to over 30 downstream manufacturers, producing various beverages and jellies, posing widespread harm. Prosecutors do not rule out expanding the investigation into suspicious distribution channels, following the precedent set by the "melamine" scandal.
Chen Defang, Chief Prosecutor of the Changhua District Prosecutors' Office, stated that clouding agents are a type of emulsified flavoring primarily used to create a cloudy, uniform, and viscous appearance in legal sports drinks, jellies, yogurts, and other products. The standard ingredients are pectin or palm oil. However, due to high costs, unscrupulous domestic manufacturers allegedly used a toxic plasticizer (DEHP, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate), which costs five times less but is classified as hazardous by the Environmental Protection Administration, as a substitute for clouding agents. This substance may damage the liver, cause cancer, or lead to fetal deformities.
Chief Prosecutor Chen Defang emphasized that after multiple investigative efforts, authorities seized 127 barrels of suspected toxic plasticizer-laced "clouding agents," along with 46 types of suspicious food raw materials (powders and syrups) totaling nearly 10,000 kilograms, and account books from Yushin Technology in New Taipei City and two downstream manufacturers in Changhua County. Given the extensive harm posed by the beverages and food products involved, prosecutors may expand the investigation into the suspicious distribution of these toxic substances, following the model used in the "melamine" case.
Chief Prosecutor Chen Defang noted that so far, investigations have covered major wholesalers and beverage/food manufacturers downstream of Yushin Company. Preliminary findings indicate that around 16 manufacturers and over 30 product categories may be contaminated with toxic plasticizers. The seized sales and inventory records have been handed over to the Department of Health, requiring all affected products to be immediately removed from shelves nationwide for testing and recall.
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ p……0206345/ 132011052301220. html
Beverages with Plasticizers: One Bottle May Exceed Limits
The Taichung City Health Bureau stated today that in the case of illegal plasticizer additives in food, the detected plasticizer content in beverages ranges from approximately 7.8 to 34.1 ppm. The daily tolerable intake for adults is 1.2 to 8.4 milligrams, meaning that consuming just one bottle of some beverages could exceed the limit.
The Health Bureau noted that beverages found to contain the plasticizer DEHP have been required to be removed from shelves by manufacturers. They urged related businesses to take them off the shelves as soon as possible and advised consumers not to consume them.
According to the Health Bureau, the internationally tolerable daily intake of DEHP is 1.2 to 8.4 milligrams for a 60-kilogram adult, and the content per kilogram of beverage should not exceed 1.2 to 8.4 milligrams. Some of the beverages found to contain plasticizers come in 1000cc (1 kilogram) bottles, with detected levels exceeding the standard—consuming just one bottle a day would surpass the limit.
The Health Bureau further explained that among the beverages testing positive for plasticizers, the plasticizer content in single bottles sold on the market ranges from about 7.8 to 34.1 ppm. Regulations prohibit the addition of plasticizers to food, and according to the "Hygienic Standard for Food Utensils, Containers, and Packaging," the allowable migration limit for plasticizers in plastic materials is below 1.5 ppm.
Source: http://life. chinatimes. com/ life/ 130518/ 132011052301182. html