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UAE Slaps Temporary Ban on Soya Sauce
DUBAI, July 19 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Fear of carcinogenic substances has caused the Dubai municipality to impose a temporary ban on the import, export, sale and serving of soya sauce products, the UAE english daily Khaleej Times reported.
On the basis of tests conducted by the U.K.-based Food Standards Agency, Acting Head of the Food Control Section at Dubai Municipality, Adnan Ali Al Jallaf, yesterday said the tested products contained "excessive" levels of 3-monochloropropane (3-MCPD), a chemical substance classified as carcinogenic.
"The levels [of 3-MCPD] observed [in soya sauce products] do not pose a direct health threat to consumers, but these products will remain under a temporary ban until the municipality takes a final decision in this regard after consulting with other authorities," said Jallaf, also the Head of Food Safety Unit at the Food Control Section of the municipality's Public Health Department.
He said the municipality considers soya sauce containing high levels of 3-MCPD to be unsuitable for human consumption because they can be suspected of causing health risks with long-term use. No upper limit standard for 3-MCPD concerning detriment to health has been established by the E.U.
The General Secretariat of UAE Municipalities (GSM) ordered the withdrawal of all stocks from local markets throughout the country, Emirates news agency (WAM) reported.
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain had previously imposed a similar ban on soya products.
The UAE arabic daily Al Bayan reported Thursday that according to a poll conducted by the U.K. publication, "Holiday Watch", the UAE in general, and Dubai in particular, is one of the leading countries in the world in the field of food control and general public health. It categorized it as one of the top cities free of food transmitted diseases for tourists.
The report, which was published in the latest issue of "Holiday Watch", said that 11% of travelers suffer from different kinds of diseases, especially abdominal pain, on returning from vacations in various countries, with the exception of the UAE and Sweden, which are considered till now the safest tourist destinations, as there have been no reported cases of food poisoning from them.
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