Malaysia says risk from biscuits low after HK group's warning

[KUALA LUMPUR] Health risk from cancer-causing substances in some ingredients used in biscuits is low, Malaysia's Health Director General Noor Hisham Abdullah said.

Monitoring of biscuit products by the health ministry's food safety and quality division since 2015 found that the average level of acrylamide was 246 microgram per kilo, below the 350 microgram level set by the European Union Commission Regulation, Noor Hisham said in a statement on Wednesday.

Last week, the Hong Kong Consumer Council said that carcinogens like glycidol and acrylamide were found in 60 samples of biscuits it tested including those made by Malaysia's Hup Seng Industries.

The consumer watchdog also found that 40 per cent of the products analysed had misleading nutrition labels.

Acrylamide is a contaminant that can be produced during food processing or making the product though such pollutants can be controlled via selection of appropriate raw materials and processes, Noor Hisham said.

Shares of Hup Seng ended unchanged at 88.5 sen per share on Wednesday. The stock slid to a 19-month low of 87.5 sen on Monday following concerns about the Hong Kong Consumer Council's findings.

BLOOMBERG