If you are still not convinced of the importance of avoiding non-fermented soy products you should review our soy index page. However if you are still using soy products you will want to review the products which were recently pulled off the shelves in England and are still on the shelves in the US until the FDA gets it act together.
Thanks to Gary Krasner of The Coalition for Informed Choice (718-479-2939) for supplying this information.
ANZFA Issues Warning on Consumption of Soy Sauce
June 22, 2001
The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) today advised consumers that certain soy and oyster sauces have been found to contain high levels of potential cancer-causing agents. ANZFA's Managing Director, Ian Lindenmayer, said that a study undertaken by the United Kingdom's Food Standards Agency, disclosed that some (but not all) soy sauces made by acid hydrolysis contain chemicals called chloropropanols. Of the samples found with one of the chloropropanols, (3-MCPD), about two-thirds also contained smaller amounts of another chloropropanol (1,2-DCP) that has the potential to cause cancer. However, this potential to cause cancer is linked to the consumption of contaminated soy or oyster sauce on a very regular basis over long periods of time. Occasional consumption is unlikely to cause adverse health effects. All of the unsafe soy sauces were manufactured using a process known as "acid hydrolysis". I emphasize that soy sauces manufactured using only a traditional (natural) fermentation process did not give rise to chloropropanols and ANZFA regards these as safe.
On the basis of the results of the UK study, we have quickly assessed the Australian and New Zealand situations and have decided to take a range of actions, Mr. Lindenmayer said.
Under emergency provisions of the ANZFA Act, we are proposing an amendment to the Food Standards Code to set a limit for chloropropanols (3-MCPD) in soy sauce of 0.02 milligrams per kilogram, in line with a limit agreed by the European Commission which comes into force in the European Union from 1 April 2002.
"We have also asked the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) to inspect soy and oyster sauce products at the border and to turn back products that exceed this limit.
Mr. Lindenmayer said the UK study had identified a number of brands where the levels of chloropropanols (3-MCPD) exceed the 0.02 milligrams per kilogram level.
These include soy sauce products from Golden Mountain (Thailand), Pearl River Bridge (China), Lee Kum Kee (Hong Kong and China) and Wanjasham (Taiwan) (a full list is attached).
ANZFA has today consulted with a range of organizations including retailers, manufacturers, importers and Senior Food Officers in States and Territories to help ensure a comprehensive and coordinated response to this problem. The Director General of Health in New Zealand has issued a similar warning to the public in New Zealand. "It is also important for everyone to recognize that we are concerned only about soy and oyster sauce, not other soy products. These sauces may be used as ingredients in savory foods, but the levels of chloropropanols in the end product are very low and are not considered to pose a health risk," Mr. Lindenmayer said.
"The problem arises solely from a particular manufacturing process used for making soy sauce. Representatives of the industry have today given ANZFA an assurance that they are taking steps to address this problem." Copies of the labels of products identified by the UK Food Standards Agency as being of concern can be found on the agency's website at: www.foodstandards.gov.uk/news/soysauce.htm
Media contact: Dr Michael Dack, ANZFA Public Affairs 02 6271 2239 or 0401 144 440 International NZ +61 2 6271 2239 or 0061 401 144 440
Mr Greg Roche, General Manager - Safety, Legal and Evaluation 02 6271 2285 or 0401 148 437 International NZ +61 2 6271 2285 or 0061 401 148 437
The Australia New Zealand Food Authority has placed a ban on oyster and soy sauce imports w/high levels of agents that can cause cancer. It has banned 22 brands from Australia but said only people who continually consume the sauces might face a threat.
The ban follows a British study showing some sauce samples contain high levels of chloropropanol. ANZFA managing director Ian Lindenmayer said occasional consumption was unlikely to cause 'adverse effects'. All the unsafe products were made using a process called acid hydrolysis.
Soy sauces made using a traditional or natural fermentation process were regarded as safe.
Lindenmayer stressed that only soy & oyster, not other soy products were affected.
Here is a list of the sauces to avoid:
Ministry Cancer Alert On Soy Sauce
By Gregg Wycherley and NZPA June 22, 2001
The Ministry of Health has warned New Zealanders not to use soy sauce after a British survey found almost one in four bottles contained high levels of potentially cancer-causing chemicals.
The survey, by the British Food Standards Agency, sampled 100 soy sauce products and found 22 with levels of a chemical called 3-McPD that were well above a limit to be introduced in the European Union next April.
Two-thirds of these samples also contained a second chemical, 1,3-DCP, which is also likely to cause cancer if consumed over a long period. The affected sauces, which are being removed from sale in Britain, were imported from Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The 11 brands involved were Lee Kum Kee, Pearl River Bridge, Sinsin, Golden Mountain, King Imperial, Jammy Chai, Wanjashan, Golden Mark, Golden Swan, Tung Chun, and Kimlan. At least three of these brands, Lee Kum Kee, Pearl River Bridge and Sinsin, sell sauces in New Zealand.
The three brands between them accounted for 10 of the 22 products named in the study. Lee Kum Kee, which had five sauces listed, says it has changed its manufacturing procedures and its products are now safe.
Last night, the Ministry of Health in Wellington said it did not know whether affected batches of the products had been imported into New Zealand. "We expect to have that information early next week," said Director-General of Health Karen Poutasi. "In the interim our advice to the public is to avoid consuming soy sauce and associated products such as oyster-flavored sauce and marinades that include soy sauce."
Dr. Poutasi said the British authority's view was that occasional consumers of these products were unlikely to suffer harm.
"We are more concerned about people who have high levels of consumption, as they will be most at risk from the harmful effects of these chemicals if they are contained in soy sauce products on sale here."
Both 3-MCPD and 1,3-DCP can occur in soy sauce during the manufacturing process, although the British Food Standards Agency said this was avoidable. Dr. Poutasi said the ministry and the Australia New Zealand Food Authority would decide the extent of action in both countries. There is no set limit for the two chemicals in New Zealand foods.
Lee Kum Kee issued a statement on its website rejecting the claims in the British study. A spokesman said samples identified in the FSA reports were all products made before the company introduced new procedures in 1999. The global food manufacturer said it was in full compliance with all regulatory standards.
Woolworths Pulls Soy Sauces From Shelves
The Woolworths supermarket chain has removed from their shelves all brands of soy sauce mentioned in a British study which found they contained high levels of a chemical linked to cancer.
The survey, by the British Food Standards Agency, sampled 100 soy sauce products and found 22 with levels of a chemical called 3-McPD that were well above a limit to be introduced in the European Union next April. Two-thirds of these samples also contained a second chemical, 1,3-DCP, which is also likely to cause cancer if consumed over a long period.
At least three of the brands listed in the British study are available in New Zealand. Woolworths spokesman Mr. Des Flynn said the withdrawal was a precaution pending further information from the product suppliers and the Ministry of Health. "We are taking no chances even though there may turn out to be no problem with these products as sold in New Zealand," he said.
The Ministry of Health yesterday warned New Zealanders not to use soy sauce after learning of the British study. Director-General of Health Karen Poutasi said the advice from British authorities gave no detail about whether the affected batches of the named products have been imported into New Zealand. "We expect to have that information early next week. In the interim our advice to the public is to avoid consuming soy sauce and associated products such as oyster flavored sauce and marinades that include soy sauce," she said.
The products withdrawn by Woolworths were: Pearl River Bridge Dark Soy-Sauce 1.85 ltr and 600ml, Pearl River Bridge Light Soy Sauce 600ml, No Frills Plain Soy Sauce 300ml, No Frills Soya Sauce 500ml, Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce 255gm, Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce, 255gm Lee Kum Kee Oyster Choy Sun Sauce 255gm.
The chairman of Lee Kum Kee, Eddy Lee, said today their products now had "non-detectable levels" of substances identified in the British Food Standards Agency reports. Samples identified in the reports were all products manufactured by Lee Kum Kee prior to new procedures introduced by the company in 1999, he said.
Long Wait For Word on Soy Sauce
By Monique Devereux, Health Reporter June 23, 2001
One of the Asian sauces identified in the soy sauce cancer scare was said to have high levels of a potentially cancer-causing chemical two years ago, but was not pulled from shop shelves until yesterday.
Panda Oyster Sauce was tested by the Ministry of Health in 1999 after a British study claimed that it was one of several to contain high levels of the chemical 3-McPD. At the time no further action was taken by the ministry because it was "waiting for more information." But on Thursday the ministry warned the public to avoid the products until investigations into the chemical levels could be made.
Yesterday, hundreds of bottles of the sauce, made by Lee Kum Kee, were voluntarily removed from New Zealand shop shelves, along with Pearl River Bridge and Sin Sin brands. Similar action was taken in Britain in response to a second survey by its Food Standards Agency.
The new survey found 22 out of 100 soy sauce products had levels of 3-MCPD that well exceeded a limit to be introduced in Europe next April. Two-thirds of the sauces in the British study also contained another potentially cancer-causing chemical, 1,3-DCP, which is a derivative of 3-MCPD and a known genotoxic carcinogen in animals. The chemical 3-MCPD has been found to cause cancer in laboratory animals fed large amounts over their lifetime.
Europe's Scientific Committee for Food has proposed a provisional level of 0.002 mg/kg bodyweight/day as the amount of 3-MCPD which can be taken daily over a lifetime without harm to health. Independent British experts say it is possible to set safe consumption levels for 3-MCPD because it does not directly affect genetic material. But the Food Standards Agency warns that 1,3-DCP is harmful to genetic material. It can cause cancer which, if it occurs in reproductive cells, will be passed on to children.
The greater the consumption of the chemical, the higher the risk.
The agency says that since 1,3-DCP is thought to damage genetic material directly it is not possible to establish a safe level of consumption. It advises consumers not to eat any soy sauces identified by the survey as containing 1,3-DCP.
Last night, the Australia New Zealand Food Authority proposed an amendment to the Food Standards Code to set a limit for the amount of 3-MCPD acceptable in soy sauces, matching the level to be introduced in Europe next year. Australian border controls have also been set up to inspect soy and oyster sauce products as they arrive in Australia. Those exceeding the limit will be rejected.
Meanwhile, the companies that supply New Zealand with the sauces in question have said their products are safe. Lee Kum Kee said on its website that procedures had changed since 1999 and its products were made in full compliance with regulatory standards.
Jay Patel, of Ashon Ventures, which imports Sin Sin Oyster Sauce, sent copies of documents that showed the sauces were below the acceptable 3-MCPD levels. Kerry McGown, managing director of Davis Trading, which imports Pearl River Bridge sauces, plans to have them tested but does not believe the safety risk is serious.
"A fair bit of hysteria gets whipped up ... but I wouldn't imagine if you have a bit of soy sauce on your fried rice tonight it will affect your health in any way. "What we are doing as a precaution is withdrawing all soy products from our shelves, and advising our customers to do the same, till the situation is clarified." He said Asian restaurants might suffer a downturn in business because of the warning.
Soy Sauce Ban Likely From Today
June 25, 2001
Imported soy-based sauces that cannot be proved to have safe levels of chemicals involved in a cancer scare are expected to be banned from today.
A Ministry of Health spokeswoman said yesterday: "We are planning to put a hold at the border for all imported soy-sauce products until importers can give us an assurance their products would meet the proposed European standard and get a health clearance."
Last week, the ministry warned people to stop consuming soy-sauce products after a British study found that 22 of 100 types tested contained high levels of 3-MCPD, a chloropropanol known to cause cancer in animals. Of those 22, two-thirds contained 1,3-DCP - a derivative of 3-MCPD - which is likely to cause cancer if consumed over a long period.
Hundreds of bottles of soy and oyster-flavored sauces of the Lee Kum Kee, Pearl River Bridge and Sin Sin brands, which were named in the study, were voluntarily pulled from shop shelves. Lee Kum Kee says its sauces comply with regulations since 1999 procedure changes, and Sin Sin's importer says its products are under acceptable 3-MCPD levels.
Of six Asian restaurant operators the Herald spoke to last night, only two said they were aware of the ministry warning and neither had stopped using soy-sauce products. Most were busy and none said they had suffered any drop in customers.