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“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"
Hippocrates,the father of medicine
Live to Eat....
.... Eat to Live

Food: One of the basic physiological needs, as outlined according to Maslow's theory of needs, that have to be satisfied before higher needs like social needs and esteem can be recognised.

Today, food has taken on a new image. People no longer consume foods to fufil their basic physiological needs...

Welcome to the world of Food Fads! Yes, fads that not only happen on the catwalk platform of fashion capitals like Milan, Paris and New York but on the plate and shelves around us today!

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Monday, October 27, 2008

Japanese sausage recall after cyanide scare

By MARI YAMAGUCHI,Associated Press Writer AP - Sunday, October 26 TOKYO - A major Japanese meat processor said Sunday it was recalling millions of packages of sausages and pizzas after finding cyanide in water at one of its plants.

Itoham Foods Inc. said in a public notice published in national newspapers Sunday that tests have found up to three times the government limit of cyanide in the well water normally used in the products.

The announcement was the latest in a raft of recalls following reports of contamination.

The industrial chemical melamine was found in a host of Chinese-made milk products in September, triggering massive recalls in dozens of countries, including Japan.

Separately, Japan's top instant noodle maker, Nissin Food Products Co., announced domestic recalls Friday of its Cup Noodle instant noodles after a woman grew sick from eating noodles that were later found to be tainted with an insecticide.

The latest recall covers nearly 2.7 million packages of sausages and pizza sold in Japan.

Itoham said it had detected large amounts of cyanide in the water at two of the three wells at its factory in Chiba, near Tokyo. Tests were still being carried out on sausages to see if they had been tainted.

Cyanide, often used in fertilizers, can seep into ground water, where small amounts are often found.

Itoham spokesman Yoshiro Matsuzaki said this was the first time in its 40 years of operation that the company had found unhealthy levels of cyanide in its wells.

The country's second-biggest meat processor, based in Nishinomiya, western Japan, said it believed the products would not pose any risk to health if consumed. The company said it has not received any reports of health problems and the recalls are voluntary.

"Please accept our sincere apology," Itoham said in a statement. "We will do our utmost to prevent future problems and ensure product safety."

Japan has been hit by several high-profile food scandals involving contamination and mislabeling, and the government is considering creating a new, specialized agency to monitor food and product safety.

No insect repellent found in Nissin, Myojo cup noodles in Singapore

Channel NewsAsia - Monday, October 27 SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Agri—Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) says its laboratory tests have found no traces of the chemical paradichlorobenzene in the Nissin and Myojo cup noodles here.

The chemical is used as an insect repellent.

On Friday, Japan’s Nissin Food Products Co. recalled half a million cups of instant noodles over fears of contamination after a 67—year—old Japanese woman vomited and felt numbness on her tongue after eating the noodles.

In the latest food scare, Japan’s second largest meat processor Itoham Foods Inc. on Sunday began recalling more than two million packs of sausage and pizza products possibly containing toxic chemicals.

AVA has confirmed Singapore does not import food that contains meat products from Japan.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Cup Noodle Scare in Japan

Reuters - Saturday, October 25

TOKYO, Oct 24 - Worries over the safety of instant noodles spread in Japan on Friday after nine servings were found to contain poison, and one maker recalled half a million cups of the popular product.
Nine cups of noodles distributed by the Japanese Consumers' Co-operative Union were found to contain paradichlorobenzene, a chemical used in mothballs, a spokesman said. He said the amounts were small and led to no illnesses.

"We have no idea how they were contaminated," the spokesman said. "We don't think anything could have been mixed in during production or distribution."

The findings follow a report on Thursday that one woman was made sick after eating the popular "Cup Noodle" snack made by Nissin Food Products Co Ltd.

Nissin has voluntarily recalled half a million cups that were made in the same Japanese factory as the contaminated cup, the company said.

The poisoned noodles have shaken the public's faith in what they eat, with consumers already worried about food safety after a string of scandals, most recently involving products made in China.

The contaminated instant noodles, however, were all from factories in Japan. Media reports said a police investigation was under way.

"Cup Noodle" under the Nissin brand is especially popular among Japanese, both young and old, with flavours ranging from milk seafood to chili tomato.

The noodles scare comes a week after reports that at least one woman was made ill after eating frozen beans imported from China containing insecticide.

Earlier this year, several Japanese were made ill by Chinese-made dumplings that also contained insecticide, incidents that followed several false labelling scandals involving traditional sweets and cookies made in Japan.


Friday, October 24, 2008

Malaysian made Biscuits affected by Melamine

From AVA:

Other than the affected products from China, melamine has been
detected in 17 biscuit products from Malaysia. Test results for the rest of the
imported biscuits, including those from Malaysia, were satisfactory. The
affected Malaysian-made biscuits are:
i) Julie’s Golden Kaka Crackers (11.8-12.8 ppm of melamine detected)

ii) Julie’s Wheat Crackers (4.9-23.4 ppm of melamine detected)
iii) Julie’s Cottage Crackers (Vegetable Yeast Cracker) (0.6-10.8 ppm of melamine detected)
iv) Julie’s Cottage Crackers (Original Yeast Cracker) (10.6 ppm of melamine detected)
v) Julie’s Chez Creamy Cheese Sandwich (172.4 ppm of melamine detected)
vi) Julie’s Sugar Crackers (extra flaky) (18.8 ppm of melamine detected)
vii) Julie’s Waferico Chocolate Coated Wafers with Chocolate Cream Filling (Not Detected - 16.0 ppm of melamine detected)
viii) Julie’s Cream Crackers (33.8 ppm of melamine detected)
ix) Julie’s Minico Rich Chocolate Chip Cookies (20.0 ppm of melamine detected)
x) Julie’s Peanut Butter Sandwich (0.7-12.6 ppm of melamine detected)
xi) Julie’s Cocoro Crispy Chocolate Wafer Rolls with Vanilla Filling (8.04 ppm of melamine detected)
xii) Julie’s Le-Mond Puff Sandwich with Lemon Flavoured Cream (Not Detected - 10.5 ppm of melamine detected)
xiii) Khong Guan Assorted Biscuits (5.4-6.6 ppm of melamine detected)
xiv) Khian Guan Biscuit Osborne (5.3 - 10.8 ppm of melamine detected)
xv) Leo Gold Finger Choco (0.6 - 6.2 ppm of melamine detected)
xvi) Santa Chocolate Gold Fingers (0.7 - 50.8 ppm of melamine detected)
xvii) Swan Chocolate Fingers (4.2 - 12.3 ppm of melamine detected)
Importers and retailers are required to withdraw the affected Malaysian made
biscuits from sale with immediate effect. As 12 of the 17 products are “Julie’s” brand of biscuits, as a precautionary measure, all “Julie’s” brand biscuits are also required to be withdrawn from sale.

AVA advises consumers who have bought the implicated products not to
consume them.

All the 17 affected products will be destroyed under AVA’s supervision.

Ammonium bicarbonate, an approved food additive, had been implicated
in melamine contamination in Malaysian-made biscuits. Hence, in addition to
intensified checks on biscuits, AVA has also tested for melamine contamination
in the raising agents (ammonium bicarbonate and sodium bicarbonate) used by
biscuit manufacturers in Singapore. Checks have found that the raising agents
used in Singapore for manufacturing of biscuits are of food grade standard and
are not contaminated with melamine.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Khong Guan Biscuits affected by Melamine in Malaysia

From: The Star Online

PUTRAJAYA: Eighteen types of biscuits bearing the Khong Guan and Khian Guan brands have been found to contain excessive levels of melamine.

Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the contamination is from the raising agent ammonium bicarbonate from China which was used to produce the biscuits
As a result, Liow said, ammonium bicarbonate from China was now banned. Ammonium bicarbonate from other countries would be taken for tests.

“Results from our tests found that the melamine level in the ammonium carbonate used for Khong Guan and Khian Guan biscuits is 33.4ppm and 508ppm respectively,” he told a press conference on Thursday.

The permissible level of melamine is 2.5 parts per million (ppm).

As a result, Liow said, ammonium bicarbonate from China was now banned. Ammonium bicarbonate from other countries would be taken for tests.

“Results from our tests found that the melamine level in the ammonium carbonate used for Khong Guan and Khian Guan biscuits is 33.4ppm and 508ppm respectively,” he told a press conference on Thursday.

The permissible level of melamine is 2.5 parts per million (ppm).

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Three more products with melamine discovered in Singapore

From: AVA

As of 9 October 2008, the AVA has detected melamine in three additional products imported from China. They are:
i) Cadbury Choclairs – Blueberry Flavour (21.4 - 33.9 ppm of melamine detected) ,;
ii) Cadbury Choclairs – Coffee Flavour (92.3 ppm of melamine detected) ,; and
iii) Panda Dairy Whole Milk Powder (industrial pack) (163.8 ppm of melamine detected) ,.

The Panda Dairy Whole Milk Powder is meant for manufacturing use and is not available in the retail market. The milk powder has also been sealed in the manufacturer’s warehouse since the suspension on 19 September 2008. AVA would like to assure the public that the milk powder has not been used in any food production.



Sunday, October 5, 2008

FDA: Tiny bit of melamine OK in most foods

From Associate Press Saturday October 4, 3:15 AM

Tiny traces of melamine, the chemical that has set off a global food safety scare, are not harmful in most foods, except baby formula, government experts said Friday.

The Food and Drug Administration said Friday its safety experts have concluded that eating a minuscule amount of melamine _ 2.5 parts per million _ would not raise health concerns, even if a person ate food every day that was tainted with the chemical.

"It would be like if you had a million grains of sand and they were all white, and you had two or three that were black, that's kind of the magnitude," said Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's food safety program.

The FDA guideline is meant to help federal and state investigators checking for contaminated foods from China at ports of entry and in Asian community groceries around the country. "We are trying to identify products that have levels we are really concerned about, rather than trying to find the last molecule," said Sundlof.

In China, melamine-tainted formula has sickened more than 54,000 children, mainly with kidney problems, and is being blamed for the deaths of at least four. The industrial chemical has also turned up in products sold across Asia, ranging from candies, to chocolates, to coffee drinks, all of which used dairy ingredients from China.

In the U.S., White Rabbit candies imported from China have been recalled after authorities in two states found melamine. And Friday, a New Jersey company announced it was recalling a yogurt-type drink from China, 'Blue Cat Flavor Drink,' after FDA testing found melamine.

No illnesses have been reported in the U.S., but authorities are checking for any telltale increase in reports of kidney problems.

The FDA says infant formula sold here is safe, because manufacturers do not use any ingredients from China. But officials expect more melamine recalls as they continue to test products in ethnic markets.

FDA officials stressed that the melamine risk assessment issued Friday does not mean U.S. authorities will condone foods deliberately spiked with the chemical.

The 2.5 parts-per-million standard is meant to address situations in which the chemical accidentally comes into contact with food. For example, plastic food processing equipment may have been made using melamine, and some of the chemical might find its way into food.

Infant formula sold to U.S. consumers must be completely free of melamine. "There is too much uncertainty to set a level in infant formula and rule out any public health concern," the FDA said.

In China, unscrupulous suppliers appear to have been adding melamine to make watered-down milk seem protein-rich in quality-control tests. That's because melamine is high in nitrogen, as is protein.

Melamine first came to the attention of U.S. consumers last year, when it touched off a massive pet food recall. Chinese suppliers of bulk pet food ingredients were found to have been adding the chemical to artificially boost the protein readings of their products. Thousands of pets here were sickened, and hundreds are believed to have died.

Melamine is harmful to the kidneys. It can cause kidney stones as the body tries to eliminate it, and in extreme cases, life-threatening kidney failure.

South Korea finds melamine in China-made Snickers and KitKat

From Reuters - Sunday, October 5

SEOUL, Oct 4 - South Korea's food watchdog has ordered China-manufactured snacks from Nestle SA and Mars Inc to be taken off shelves after detecting melamine in their samples, it said on Saturday.

The Korea Food and Drug Administration said 2.38 parts per million and 1.78 ppm of the substance were found in M&M's milk chocolate snack and Snickers peanut Fun Size, both produced by Mars and manufactured in China.

"We are urgently recalling the products due to melamine detection," KFDA said in a statement.

Mars said it was temporarily withdrawing the products from the Korean market because it was legally obliged to do so and that the melamine levels announced by the KFDA did not pose a health risk.

Kit Kat bars from Nestle were also found carrying 2.89 ppm of melamine, bringing the total number of melamine-detected items to 10 in Seoul.

Nestle said the KFDA asked it to withdraw one batch of mini Kit Kat made in China from the market, after their tests detected minute traces of melamine in a single batch out of eight Nestle confectionery items tested. No melamine was detected in the other seven products, the company said.

"The company immediately complied with the authorities' request, even though this product is absolutely safe by recognized international standards," Nestle said in a statement.

"South Korea has no regulations on maximum levels of melamine in food, and the conditions under which the South Korean authorities conducted their tests are unclear," it added. Melamine, widely used in kitchen utensils, can pose serious health risks if consumed in large quantities. At least four children in China died after drinking tainted infant milk formula last month.

KFDA said it is currently examining 428 processed products manufactured in China. It had completed checks on 288 items as of Saturday.


(Reporting by Angela Moon; Additional reporting by Sam Cage in Zurich; Editing by Louise Ireland and Ruth Pitchford)

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Glow Collagen Drink

Fancy drinking collagen that aids in maintaining healthy skin texture and elasticity???

Here's the perfect solution for you!

GLOW Collagen Drink

Collagen is the main protein of connective tissues. It is responsible for skin elasticity and its degradation leads to wrinkles that accompany aging. Glow is a collagen supplement containing the primary ingredient in maintaining healthy skin texture and elasticity.

Picture from Pere Ocean

For more enquiries, please contact:
- Singapore Office:
Tel: 6253 5888
Fax: 6259 8558
Email: enquiries@pereocean.com

- Johor Office:
Tel: (607) 861 1268
Fax: (607) 861 1715
Email: oceanomw@tm.net.my

- Selangor Office:
Tel: (603) 5634 1788
Fax: (603) 5635 1233
Email: wyninind@streamyx.com

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

2 more products contaminated with melamine discovered in Singapore

From AVA:

As of 30 September 2008, the AVA has detected melamine in two additional products imported from China. Both the products contain milk as an ingredient, they are:

i) New Sshmallows Mallow Dippers-Strawberry Flavour (24.8ppm of melamine detected) , and


ii) Silang - House of Steamed Potato - Potato & Tomato Cracker (8.1ppm of melamine detected)

More products discovered to contain melamine in Hongkong

From: Centre for Food Safety (Hongkong)
東望洋Coconut Cakes東望洋椰蓉酥 (19 ppm of melamine detected)



東望洋Walnut Cakes東望洋核桃酥 (3.7 ppm of melamine detected)


Glico Pocky Men's Coffee Cream Coated Biscuit Stick (43 ppm of melamine detected)

Lotte Cream Cheese Cake (3.4 ppm of melamine detected)

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SG Food Fads focuses on current food trends and interesting food products available on the market. While reimbursements received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog, the owner of this blog provide straightforward and honest opinions on products, services, websites and various other topics. Such content may not always be identified.