Protect our golden goose: Reduce contaminants in our palm oil now

The Malaysian palm oil industry must quickly get on with the necessary interventions to reduce contaminants in our edible palm oil, not only to meet EU standards but also because caring for the health and well-being of our palm oil consumers globally is a sacrosanct mission. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star

THE revelation by the Hong Kong Consumer Council on Oct 18, 2021, that 60 samples of biscuits contained carcinogenic contaminants of glycidol and/or acrylamide and 46 of the same samples also contained 3-monochloropropane diol (3-MCPD) is a stern wake-up call for the palm oil industry, especially in Malaysia.

Glycidol can be hydrolysed from glycidyl esters (GE) during the confectionary manufacturing process.