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
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
2011/05/23 16:09
2011/05/23 16:10