By Low De Wei
(Bloomberg) — Singapore’s food regulator said biscuits and crackers were safe to eat after a Hong Kong regulator warned that carcinogenic substances had been found in some products, including those made in Malaysia.
Compounds such as acrylamide and glycidol are formed naturally when foods are processed at high temperatures, such as when frying, baking or roasting. There is no evidence that these substances can cause cancer in humans, said Singapore’s food authority.
The Hong Kong Consumer Council said this month that the cancer-causing chemicals were found in 60 samples of biscuits it tested, including crackers made by Malaysian company Hup Seng Industries Bhd, which are widely sold across Singapore.
The production of biscuits and crackers involves processing food at high temperatures and using ingredients that contain refined fats and oils, so it was “expected” that these substances would be detected in the samples tested, said Singapore’s Food Safety Authority.
“It is impossible to prevent the presence of such compounds in food,” it said in response to questions from Bloomberg News.
The agency urged manufacturers to reduce the presence of these compounds wherever possible and advised consumers to avoid excessive consumption of foods processed at high temperatures, such as fried and roasted products.
Shares in Malaysian company Hup Seng Industries fell to a 19-month low on Monday following the Hong Kong report, but are now trading higher on a weekly basis.
© 2021 Bloomberg L.P.
