A batch of Mie Sedaap’s Korean spicy chicken instant noodles has been recalled after Hong Kong’s food authorities found that it contained a chemical used as a pesticide.
The Centre for Food Safety said on Tuesday that samples of the instant noodles imported from Indonesia were found to contain ethylene oxide.
It added that members of the public should not consume the affected batch of the product, while trade groups should also stop using or selling the affected batch of the product immediately if they possess it.
The batch in question is the Sedaap Korean Spicy Chicken Flavor Fried Noodle with a best before date of May 19, 2023.
It is retailed by ParknShop and imported by Golden Long Food Trading.
“The center collected samples of the product from a supermarket in Lok Fu for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme,” the center said in a press release.
“The test result showed that the samples of noodle, seasoning pack and chili powder pack of the product contain a pesticide, ethylene oxide.”
The center said it has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularity and instructed it to stop sale and remove from shelves the affected batch of the product.
According to its instructions, the retailer concerned has already initiated a recall on the affected batch of the product, it added.
Members of the public may call the retailer’s hotline at 2606 8658 during office hours for inquiries about the recall of the product concerned.
The center also noted that the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified ethylene oxide as a group 1 carcinogen.
It added it would alert trade groups to the incident, and would continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. An investigation is ongoing.
The Centre for Food Safety has recalled a number of food products over ethylene oxide concerns recently, including two flavors of Häagen-Dazs ice cream last month.
