Previously, the Hong Kong Consumer Council sent everyone into a frenzy when it revealed through a media release that the popular crackers we usually eat with coffee and Milo actually contain cancer-causing substances.
The crackers, more commonly known as 苏打饼, were said to contain genotoxic carcinogens glycidol and acrylamide after the council tested 60 pre-packaged biscuits.
Furthermore, it was revealed that the nutrition labels on 40% of the biscuits were found to be inaccurate.
One of the brands that were affected was Hup Seng which specialises in its Special Cream Crackers. The company has released a statement to assure the public that “product quality and safety have always been our first and foremost priority”.
It also added, “We wish to ensure that our special cream crackers manufactured and marketed in Malaysia are fit for human consumption and are in compliance with the local regulations, quality standards and food safety standards. We will extend our fullest cooperation to the authorities in their investigations, if required.”
M’sia Authorities Say Health Risks from Popular Crackers Low After Hong Kong’s Cancer Warning
Malaysia’s Health Director General Noor Hisham Abdullah has now also spoken up about the incident.
He explained that the health risk from the cancer-causing substances in some ingredients used in the popular crackers is actually low.
The health ministry’s food safety and quality division has been monitoring biscuit products since 2015, and while it acknowledged that there were indeed such substances present, the average level of acrylamide was 246 microgram per kilo, which was way below the 350 microgram level set by the European Union Commission Regulation.
So in other words, the popular crackers that we all love are rather safe to consume, contrary to what the Hong Kong Consumer Council has announced previously.
Not much was said about the accusation of misleading nutrition labels though.
Should You Still Eat Them?
The CEO of the Hong Kong Consumer Council said in its original statement that you should “eat these biscuits as little as possible or replace them with a healthier choice”. If that isn’t possible and you have to eat them no matter what, it advised everyone to “be disciplined and controlled”.
You might be spooked by the amount of acrylamide in the crackers, but you should also note that the contaminant is produced during high-temperature cooking processing for other types of food. For example, it is produced when we air-fry fries.
And now, Malaysian authorities have confirmed that the crackers are safe to eat.
So should you still eat them?
Yes, but do so in moderation.
Because even eating 100 apples a day is harmful (do you know it contains carbs, too?)
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