The Ministry of Health has made public, the names of many products that contain DEHP carcinogen in Vietnam, including syrup imported from Taiwan and candies from the Philippines.

The result came after a test on 13 samples of cooking taken randomly from a market in HCM City.

Three kinds of syrup (red apple, grape and litchi) with DEHP are imported from Taiwan by Gia Thinh Phat Trade – Service – Production Co., Ltd. in Tan Binh District, HCM City.

The syrups are exported by Taiwan’s Ye Yen Gen. Co., Ltd. This firm’s representative on June 3, admitted that the three above kinds of syrup contained DEHP and began recalling the products.

HCM City Health Department and Food Security Bureau asked Gia Thinh Phat – the importer of these products to urgently recall over 1,000 bottles of syrup from 46 shops in HCM City.

The three other products with DEHP are Marshies vanilla, strawberry and chocolate candies, imported from the Philippines by Hamico Co., Ltd in Binh Tri Dong A ward, Tan Binh district, HCM City.

2,141 packages of the candies were sealed at Hanico’s warehouse and the company was asked to recall 100 another packages of those candies that have been marketed.

Several days ago, New Choice Foods Company in HCM City’s neighboring province of Binh Duong recalled 3,582 packages of Taro jellies nationwide after the product was found containing DEHP.

The HCM City Health Department said it has tightened control over all beverage products that have been listed as possibly containing DEHP by the International Food Safety Authorities Network (Infosan).

DEHP is short for diethylhexylphthalate, a liquid organic substance that is able to cause cancer, weakens male sexual ability, and gives rise to female puberty disorder, the department said.

The substance is commonly used in fruit jelly, yogurt mix powder, juices and other drinks to keep emulsions well dispersed.

Some soft drinks produced in Vietnam which were randomly collected from Hanoi and neighboring provinces are tested without DEHP.

PV