Head of the Vietnam Food Administration under the Ministry of Health Nguyen Thanh Phong yesterday said that the news of Vietnamese-made disposable chopsticks containing cancer-causing substance was not official; accordingly the department could not reach any conclusion.

Following the Taiwan (China) Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) under the Ministry of Health announcement that residues of a cancer-causing chemical had been detected in four samples of disposable chopsticks imported from Vietnam, Mr. Phong has asked the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration to provide more detailed information of Vietnamese enterprises which made above-mentioned substandard products.

The Vietnam Food Administration will check and issue fine to the enterprise of detecting food safety regulation, he said.

Lately, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration’s website released information of testing result of disposable chopsticks in the country. Of 250 disposable chopsticks tested, all satisfy the content of dioxide.

Yet one sample has been detected to have biphenyl (0.22ppm) and three other with hydrogen peroxide. Of all these products are imported from Vietnam. Some websites quoted medical experts that these substances can destroy stomach, lung and pancreas causing concern amongst the public.

Nguyen Duy Khanh who is a lecturer of Faculty of Food Technology in the Hanoi Poly-Technique University said that people should not be too anxious at the news of disposable chopstick as exported products had to be tested strictly.

Moreover, substances biphenyl and hydrogen peroxide just have in plastic products not in bamboo or wood from which chopsticks are made, the lecture confirmed.

Hydrogen peroxide is allowed to use in food technology to sterilize, he added.

SGGP