We heard it from Indomie, and now the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has said that the instant noodle brand’s Ayam Spesial (Special Chicken) variant is safe for consumption amid recalls abroad over a carcinogenic substance found in the product’s ingredient.
Ayam Spesial was this week recalled in Taiwan and Malaysia after the former’s food regulatory body first found that its seasoning powder packet contained excessive levels of ethylene oxide, exposure to which has been known to increase the risk of lymphoma and leukemia, as well as stomach and breast cancers.
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Ethylene oxide is used to sterilize some food products such as spices, dried herbs, dried vegetables, sesame seeds and walnuts.
Indofood, the company that produces the beloved instant noodle brand, went on record saying that the Indomie Ayam Spesial available domestically are safe for consumption, without divulging much detail.
That was left to BPOM, who yesterday released a statement saying that its examination of Ayam Spesial found that the product contained 0.187 parts per million of ethylene oxide – far below the 85 parts per million threshold for food products manufactured and distributed in Indonesia.
“Taiwan does not allow ethylene oxide [at all] on food products,” the statement read.
“[Ethylene oxide levels in the product] are far below what’s permitted in Indonesia, as well as other countries like the US and Canada. For that reason, the instant noodle product is safe for consumption in Indonesia.”
So there you have it. It’s not that Indomie Ayam Spesial doesn’t contain ethylene oxide. We just have lower standards. For what it’s worth, Canada has been considering banning ethylene oxide in food additives, while the US is exploring alternatives to using the substance as a food sterilizer.
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