Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit advised consumers yesterday not to panic in the wake of reports that 22 imported brands of soy sauce and similar oriental seasonings contain high levels of 3-MCPD, which allegedly causes cancer.
Dayrit said it is somehow far-fetched that the country would see an increase in cancer cases because of eating food seasoned with these brands of soy sauce and seasoning because it has not been established if 3-MCPD indeed causes cancer among humans.
"There is no imminent threat and we will not be pulling out these brands of soy sauce and seasoning from grocery outlets and supermarkets. However, we will recommend that manufacturers change their formulations and properly label their products," he said.
Dayrit said smoking even poses more threat in the development of cancer among humans than the use of these brands of soy sauce and seasonings.
"We have directly related lung cancer to smoking and even established that passive smokers are equally at risk unlike in the case of soy sauce use," he added.
Trade and Industry Secretary Mar Roxas recently warned consumers against using the 22 brands of soy sauce or seasoning imported from China, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore after receiving reports from the British Food Standards Agency (FSA) that they contain high levels of 3-MCPD that could cause cancer if taken daily.
Some of the products listed by the FSA were Golden Mountain, King Imperial, Pearl River Bridge, Jammy Chai, Wanjashan, Golden Mark, Kimlan, Lee Kum Kee (Hong Kong), Tung Chun, Sinsin and Golden Swan.
The Bureau of Food and Drugs has yet to come up with results of tests it will do on these products.
The chemical 3-MCPD contains hydrolyzed vegetable protein commonly used in food products worldwide. Malaysia, according to reports from the FSA, has already removed these food products from grocery shelves.