VietNamNet Bridge - None of the five samples tested in Ha Noi were found to contain the toxic chemical di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), the Ministry of Health said yesterday.

The five randomly selected products sold at markets and supermarkets in Ha Noi, include Long Hai gracilaria seaweed, Ba Vi yoghurt, Ba Vi fresh milk and two jelly products.

The test was created following the recent discovery of the carcinogenic chemical DEHP in some bottled drinks in Taiwan. The plasticiser, which was commonly used in fruit jelly, yoghurt mix powder, juices and other drinks to keep emulsions well dispersed, was reported to affect male fertility and female puberty.

In the beginning of this month, the administration’s inspection teams continued taking samples from some companies in Ha Noi and northern Hung Yen Province for further tests. The results will soon be revealed.

New Choice Foods Company in southern Binh Duong Province’s Ben Cat District was found to have imported 100kg of the cloudy agent additive from Triko Foods Co Ltd in Taiwan.

Nguyen Cong Khan, director of the administration, said the company would be legally punished if the inspection team found toxic jelly on the market after June 6.

The administration has required the company to take their products back. Up to 75 stores and 307 supermarkets nationwide were also asked to withdraw the products from their shelves.

Deputy director of Binh Duong Province’s Department of Food Safety and Hygiene Nguyen Ngoc Hung told Viet Nam News Agency yesterday that all jelly products with the taro flavour of New Choice Foods Company had been discontinued.

Nearly 5,700 among the total of more than 7,000 consignments of taro jelly sold nationwide were returned to the company. The withdrawing task would be completed before next Monday.

Currently, the provincial Department of Health was in charge of supervising the task, confiscating and destroying the product if required, Hung said.

Director of HCM City’s Department of Food Safety and Hygiene Huynh Thai Hoa said these jelly products were basically withdrawn from stores and supermarkets in the city since last Thursday.

Hoa also said that the department had taken 11 samples for further tests and the results would be announced in the next several days.

Currently, the municipal Department of Health and relevant authorities are re-examining all Taiwanese companies and products potentially relating to the toxic chemical in the city.

The department will continue to work with Taiwanese authorities and the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) to locate the chemical and inform Vietnamese consumers in a timely fashion.

Source: VNA