Carcinogen found in 94 per cent of margarine and spreads containing vegetable oils, Hong Kong consumer watchdog warns
- Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread brand detected with highest level of glycidol at 1,500μg/kg, exceeding the 1,000μg/kg maximum EU standard
- Consumer Council urges buyers to reduce intake of high-fat products such as margarine and butter, as well as to properly read packaging labels
Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has found a carcinogen called glycidol in 94 per cent of margarine and spreads containing vegetable oils, with one sample exceeding global safety standards.
The Consumer Council, which released its findings on 16 samples on Thursday, also revealed some 80 per cent of the products tested contained 3-MCPD, an organic chemical compound that has been found to affect kidney functions and the central nervous system of animals if consumed over a prolonged period.
The 3-MCPD amounts found in the samples did not exceed maximum levels stipulated by the European Union, however. The EU standard is one of the benchmarks observed globally. Glycidol was a type of genotoxic carcinogen, the council said.
The watchdog also tested 12 samples of butter, which were confirmed to have no traces of 3-MCPD or glycidol. Yet, they were found to have a relatively higher content of total fat, saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids compared to margarine and vegetable spreads.
The trans fatty acid content of the butter samples ranged from 2.28 grams (0.1oz) to 5 grams per 100 grams, higher than the margarine and spread samples which were found to have up to 0.31 grams per 100 grams.
The sample detected with the highest amount of glycidol was Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread at 1,500 micrograms per kilogram, exceeding the 1,000μg/kg maximum EU standard. It also contained the highest level of 3-MCPD among tested samples at 1,200μg/kg.
Another sample called Constantia Garlic Margarine had the second-highest level of 3-MCPD at 720μg/kg.