OLDER STOCKS OF SOY SAUCE ARE STILL CAUSING SAFETY CONCERNS

The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) today initiated a recall of an imported soy sauce product after tests by the Queensland Department of Health showed that it contained unacceptably high levels of a potentially cancer-causing chemical - a chloropropanol called 3-MCPD.

King brand ' New soy sauce' was found to have levels of 3-MCPD at 200 times higher than the level that is safe.

ANZFA' s Managing Director Ian Lindenmayer said that since ANZFA' s last recall of soy sauces in January 2002, manufacturers had been progressively introducing improved processes which met Australia' s stringent food safety regulations.

' It is apparent, however, that some small grocery stores specialising in food from South East Asia, sometimes carry older stocks that may pose a danger to human health,' Mr Lindenmayer said.

' The product being recalled has a ' best-before' date of December 2000.'

' I strongly advise consumers to avoid purchasing soy sauce products that have gone beyond their ' best-before' or ' use-by' dates and urge retailers stocking these products to remove them from shelves as quickly as possible.'

It is also important to remember that chloropropanol contamination can occur during the manufacture of soy sauce products when a process called acid hydrolysis is used. We believe soy sauces and soy sauce products made by a traditional (natural) fermentation process do not contain the contaminant.

' We have asked State and Territory enforcement officers to ensure that these older soy sauce products are withdrawn from retail sale. In addition, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) are continuing to inspect soy and oyster sauce products at the border to ensure compliance with the chloropropanols standard.' Mr Lindenmayer said.

' Our dietary modelling has shown that soy sauce products containing 3-MCPD at levels above 3.5 milligrams per kilogram are unsafe to consume.

' I am therefore particularly alarmed that the test results showed levels of 3-MCPD in an older King brand ' New soy sauce' as high as 690 milligrams per kilogram.'

Mr Lindenmayer also expressed concern that the Queensland Department of Health survey showed that some soy sauce products that had been subject to a previous national recall were still on the shelves. The attached list specifies all of the products which should have previously been recalled in Australia, as well as the King brand product now being recalled.

Mr Lindenmayer said store owners should return any unsafe soy sauce products to their distributor as soon as possible. Consumers should return them to the place of purchase for a refund or simply discard them,

Soy sauce products which have been the subject of a national recall in Australia as a result of high levels of chloropropanols

Brand	Product description	Pack size mL	Best before date or batch code*	Country of origin	Date of Recall
Golden Mountain	Soya bean seasoning sauce	740	All	Thailand	Aug 2001
Golden Mountain	Soya bean seasoning sauce	200	All	Thailand	Aug 2001
Wanjashan	All purpose seasoning sauce	500	All	Taiwan	Aug 2001
Amoy	Seafood soy sauce	All	All	Hong Kong	Oct 2001
Gia Minh	Seasoning soy sauce	All	All	Vietnam	Oct 2001
Kimlan (in Chinese) Miss Lu Lu	Soy sauce (in Chinese)	All	All	Taiwan (in Chinese)	Oct 2001
Kimlan	Soy sauce (Dark)	All	All - Except BB 16/11/03 and later dates	Taiwan	Oct 2001
Knorr**	Seasoning	All	All - Except batch code 106	Hong Kong	Oct 2001
President	Creamy soy sauce	All	All	Taiwan	Oct 2001
Silver Swan	Soy sauce	All	All	Philippines	Oct 2001
Ta Tung	Soy bean sauce	All	All	Taiwan	Oct 2001
Tau Vi Yeu	Seasoning sauce soyabean	All	All	Vietnam	Oct 2001
Tau Vi Yeu	Soyabean sauce	All	All	Vietnam	Oct 2001
Zu Miao	Fo shan soy superior sauce	All	All	China	Oct 2001
Zu Miao	Mushroom soy sauce	All	All	China	Oct 2001
Golden Mountain	Oyster sauce	870	All	Thailand	Jan 2002
King	New soy sauce	All	All	Vietnam	May 2002

* NOTE: Products imported into Australia since 6 July 2001 are not subject to recall action. The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) introduced import testing for soy and oyster sauce products on this date. Products imported on or after this date have been tested and found to comply with the maximum limits for the chloropropanols 3-MCPD and 1,3-DCP.