No dioxin-tainted food reported, city officials say
By Jasmine Zhao |
December 15, 2011, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
SHANGHAI officials said no dioxin-contaminated food has been reported in local markets after media reports about excessive levels of the cancer-causing compound found in cooked food in Hong Kong.
Gu Zhenhua, an official with the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration, told Shanghai Daily yesterday that there have been no such reports in Shanghai this year and that the FDA's food inspectors are aware of the toxic substance and will strengthen inspections to ensure food safety.
It was reported yesterday that two-thirds of the cooked food samples tested in Hong Kong showed excessive amounts of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, which could have toxic effects on people's endocrine, immune and nervous systems, with cancer-causing potential.
All 142 samples of cooked food collected between June and November 2010 had at least one of the dioxin or dioxin-like PCB congeners, and two-thirds were found to be above the limits of detection, the report said.
Fish and other seafood products contained the highest levels of dioxin and dioxin-like PCBs among all the food groups, contributing 61.9 percent of the total exposure. Mandarin fish, oysters and pomfret fish ranked as the worst three offenders on the sample list, the report showed.
But the report added that the general population was unlikely to experience major undesirable health effects, based on an investigation of 5,000 Hong Kong residents, because the dietary exposures to the toxics for most people were below the safety standard.
Nevertheless, the report appealed for efforts to reduce people's exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, considering their carcinogenic risk.
Dioxins persist in the environment and accumulate in the food chain, causing contamination in foods of animal origin, such as meat, dairy products, eggs and fish.
People are advised to trim fat from meat and to consume low-fat dairy products while having a balanced and varied diet to avoid excessive exposure to dioxins and their chemical cousins from a small range of food items.
"Moderate consumption of a variety of fish is recommended," the report said.
Gu Zhenhua, an official with the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration, told Shanghai Daily yesterday that there have been no such reports in Shanghai this year and that the FDA's food inspectors are aware of the toxic substance and will strengthen inspections to ensure food safety.
It was reported yesterday that two-thirds of the cooked food samples tested in Hong Kong showed excessive amounts of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, which could have toxic effects on people's endocrine, immune and nervous systems, with cancer-causing potential.
All 142 samples of cooked food collected between June and November 2010 had at least one of the dioxin or dioxin-like PCB congeners, and two-thirds were found to be above the limits of detection, the report said.
Fish and other seafood products contained the highest levels of dioxin and dioxin-like PCBs among all the food groups, contributing 61.9 percent of the total exposure. Mandarin fish, oysters and pomfret fish ranked as the worst three offenders on the sample list, the report showed.
But the report added that the general population was unlikely to experience major undesirable health effects, based on an investigation of 5,000 Hong Kong residents, because the dietary exposures to the toxics for most people were below the safety standard.
Nevertheless, the report appealed for efforts to reduce people's exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, considering their carcinogenic risk.
Dioxins persist in the environment and accumulate in the food chain, causing contamination in foods of animal origin, such as meat, dairy products, eggs and fish.
People are advised to trim fat from meat and to consume low-fat dairy products while having a balanced and varied diet to avoid excessive exposure to dioxins and their chemical cousins from a small range of food items.
"Moderate consumption of a variety of fish is recommended," the report said.
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