'Pigging out' on pork is a health risk, study finds
Roasted and barbecued meats contain carcinogens, says government report
Lovers of fatty roast pork, or siu yuk, have been warned against eating excessive amounts of the dish because it contains chemicals that cause cancer.
Other barbecued meat, or siu mei, such as roast duck and barbecued pork, and dried meat, also all contain cancer-causing agents, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), according to a study by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
Vehicle emissions, dust and tobacco smoke also contain these chemicals.
The department found that those foods with the highest level of the carcinogenic agents were cooked with charcoal. This is especially true for burnt parts, skin and fatty areas.
Meats cooked under gas or electrical grills had other PAHs but not ones that cause cancer.
'When eating barbecued food, the public should remember not to eat excessively, especially the skin and fat from the meat,' said Ho Yuk-yin, a consultant for community medicine at the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
Dr Ho could not give an estimate about what would be considered an excessive amount, only saying that these chemicals were genetically poisonous and their intake should be reduced to a minimum.
Under the study, the department took 60 samples of siu mei from restaurants in December for testing of PAHs. The results were compared with meats that were boiled.
Roast pork made with charcoal grills had the highest level of PAHs (144.7 micrograms/kg), followed by dried meat cooked by gas grills (138.6 micrograms/kg), and the skin and fat portions that were charcoal grilled (105.6 micrograms/kg).
While PAHs are present in other foods, such as cereals and seafoods, siu mei was chosen for the study because it is so popular, Dr Ho said.
The study concluded that charcoal grilling and high-temperature cooking led to the highest level of the chemicals.
They were mainly found on the outer layer of the meat, which meant that removal of the skin could reduce intake of PAHs.
Of the 1,000 siu mei shops and restaurants in Hong Kong, about 20 use charcoal grills, Dr Ho said. Most use gas grills and the remainder electric grills.
Wong Chi-wai, owner of Ming Yuen Restaurant in North Point, said he was not worried about the new findings deterring his customers from buying popular charcoal-grilled chicken. 'There are so many [things] that have cancer-causing agents, like cigarettes. But many people are still smoking,' he said.
Mr Wong said his chef preferred charcoal grilling because it produced tastier chicken, with flavour flowing all through the chicken, including the breast.
HEALTHY OPTION
Trim visible fat from meat before cooking
Partially boil or microwave meat before grilling
Avoid dripping fat by moving charcoal to sides and cooking meat in centre
Place meat as far as possible from heat source and avoid overcooking
