Dried fruits may be harmful to your health
Consumer Council survey finds dried-fruit products may do you more harm than good, with poor labelling on packaging in part to blame
Hongkongers often snack on dried fruits because they are seen as healthy and natural. In fact, they can be laced with unhealthy preservatives, the Consumer Council warned yesterday.
A survey conducted by the council of 50 dried-fruit products available on the market found that they each contained at least one type of preservative, among them sulphur dioxide, sorbic acid and benzoic acid.
The samples tested included dried mangoes, kumquats, prunes and lemons, sold both loose and packaged.
Professor Ron Hui Shu-yuen, vice-chairman of the council's community relations committee, said: "Despite its low toxicity, sulphur dioxide can cause allergic reactions like asthmatic attacks, headaches or nausea in some people sensitive to the chemical."
Artificial sweeteners, such as saccharin and aspartame, were also present in the samples and could have adverse health effects.
Although saccharin has been evaluated as safe by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), some countries - including the United States - permit its use only in specified foods.
For example, a 60kg adult can approach the upper limit of JECFA's acceptable daily intake for saccharin by eating 14 to 15 dried prunes containing the highest level of saccharin found - 8,300mg/kg.