Instant noodles exported to the EU will be tested for ethylene oxide residues

Instant noodles exported to the EU will be tested for ethylene oxide residues

From January 6, 2022, Vietnamese noodles exported to Europe will be monitored for residues of plant protection drug ethylene oxide with a test rate of 20% per batch of noodles.

This decision has just been made by the European Commission (EU), temporarily applying official and emergency control measures to some foods entering the EU market.

The Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium and the EU said that Vietnamese food products, when exported to the European market, will be subject to the inspection of plant protection drugs (ethylene oxide - EO), including herbs, fruits and vegetables. fast noodle.

Previously, EU food safety authorities inspected products (imported, domestic) either periodically, randomly or upon complaint. Products once violated will have an increased frequency of inspection. Depending on the level of violation, the inspection rate on the whole shipment can be 50%, even 100%. When testing continuously over a period of time, usually about 3 months, if there are no violations, the random inspection level will return to the original level.

But with this decision, the European authorities have added this item to the mandatory control with EO, the inspection rate on the product is 20%.

In case the product contains eggs or animal fat, the enterprise needs a certificate from the Department of Animal Health, and if the products are purely plant-based, contact the Plant Protection Department to get this certificate.

Acecook Vietnam's spicy and sour shrimp instant noodles. Photo: Anh Minh

Also according to the EU's decision, goods imported from Vietnam, including coriander, basil, mint, parsley, okra, and pepper will be subject to a random inspection rate of 50%, dragon fruit 20. %.

Recently, a number of instant noodle products of Vietnamese enterprises, when exported to the European market, were recalled because they contained EO substances exceeding the prescribed threshold.

In August, Ireland requested to recall a number of batches of Acecook Vietnam's Hao Hao hot and sour instant noodles, Good instant vermicelli because of containing EO in excess of the threshold. And Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway... issued warnings for these products.

Some batches of Thien Huong beef and chicken flavored dry pho were also warned and recalled by Norway in this market due to the discovery that a batch of products with an expiry date of 7/2/2022 contained 0.052 mg/kg-ppm EO.

In early December, Acecook Vietnam said that it actively proposed that France recall a number of batches of Hao Hao instant noodles, rice noodles, Ricey instant noodles, De Nhat noodles and Thai hot pot noodles with 2-CE content exceeding the threshold.

Currently, each country and region has different regulations on EO substances, some places are as tight as the EU, but there are also countries that are more relaxed.

Ethylene oxide (EO) is commonly used as a highly effective disinfectant and fumigation agent in a number of agricultural products; sterilization of food materials, especially spices and herbs such as paprika, pepper and cinnamon... due to the requirement that regular testing for Salmonella is required.

Consumption of products containing EO does not pose an acute health hazard but can cause cancer if taken regularly for a long time. The use of EO as an active ingredient in plant protection products in the EU is not approved. However, according to EU directive 91/414/EEC on the management of plant protection products, the EO limit residue level in the product is 0.05mg/kg.

In many European countries, the ethylene oxide content of foods is taken into account as residual levels of 2-chloroethanol, a metabolite of ethylene oxide.

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