Indomie safe to eat: Health Ministry

PUTRAJAYA: The Indomie instant noodles sold in Malaysia are safe for consumption, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said Wednesday.

He said the ministry had tested 30 out of 77 samples of Indomie collected locally for hydroxylbenzoic acid methyl ester and found that they did not contain the preservative.

"The ministry wishes to assure that eating Indomie will not cause any health risks to consumers," he said.

It was reported on Saturday that the Taipei Country Health Bureau had detected hydroxylbezoic acid methyl ester in soya sauce seasoning used in Indomie, an instant noodle imported from Indonesia.

Liow said Taiwan allows the preservative to be used at a level of not more than 250mg per kg in soya sauce seasoning, while Malaysia does not allow its use in instant noodles, in line with the standard set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

The commission allows the use of the preservatives only in snacks and at a level between 300 to 500mg per kg while Europe and Canada have allowed its use in pickles, marmalade, preserved fruit and some other preserved food at levels between 300 to 1,000 mg per kg, he said.

According to the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, the preservative contains acceptable daily intake, or an amount that can be consumed up to 10mg/kg of body weight a day without affecting health in the long term, he said.

He said the Ministry would continue to monitor the use of the preservatives in food, especially imported food.