3 EU States Recall Lucky Me! Products; Producer Says Noodles Safe

Three countries in Europe have issued recall orders on some batches of Lucky Me! pancit canton and instant noodle products due to the presence of unauthorized pesticide.

The governments of Malta, France and Ireland issued separate recall orders after authorities found high levels of ethylene oxide, a pesticide.

In an advisory, Malta’s Environmental Health Directorate recalled nine lots of Lucky Me! pancit canton original flavor, nine lots of Lucky Me! pancit canton hot chili flavor, seven lots of Lucky Me! pancit canton kalamansi flavor, seven lots of Lucky Me! pancit canton chilimansi flavor and eight lots of Lucky Me! instant noodle soup beef flavor. The products have expiration dates ranging from February to September 2022.

France’s advisory covered the same five products with minimum durability or expiration dates of July 5, 2022.

“The content of ethylene oxide present in the product is higher than the standard,” read the French government advisory as it advised the public to stop consuming the product and to either return it to the point of sale or destroy it.

Ireland’s advisory, meanwhile, only covered one batch of Lucky Me! pancit canton original flavor that originated in Thailand and with a best before date of July 20, 2022.

The advisories from France and Malta did not identify the country of origin of the products covered by their recall orders.

“This pesticide is not authorized for use in foods sold in the EU. Although the consumption of the contaminated product does not pose an acute risk to health, there may be health issues if there is continued consumption of ethylene oxide over a long period of time,” read Ireland’s advisory.

“Therefore, exposure to this substance needs to be minimized. Point-of-sale recall notices will be displayed in stores supplied with the implicated batch,” it added.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, ethylene oxide is used as a sterilizing agent for medical equipment and a fumigating agent for spices.

“The acute (short-term) effects of ethylene oxide in humans consist mainly of central nervous system depression and irritation of the eyes and mucous membranes. Chronic (long-term) exposure to ethylene oxide in humans can cause irritation of the eyes, skin, nose, throat and lungs, and damage to the brain and nervous system,” read an information sheet from the US EPA.

“There also is some evidence linking ethylene oxide exposure to reproductive effects. EPA has concluded that ethylene oxide is carcinogenic to humans by the inhalation route of exposure. Evidence in humans indicates that exposure to ethylene oxide increases the risk of lymphoid cancer and, for females, breast cancer,” it added.

In a statement, the Philippines’ largest noodle maker – Monde Nissin Corp. – maintained that it does not add ethylene oxide in its products as it explained that the chemical is a commonly used treatment in spices and seeds to control microbial growth typical in agricultural products.

“These materials, when processed into seasoning and sauces, may still show traces of ethylene oxide,” it said.

Monde Nissin also said that Lucky Me! was not the only brand affected by the recall in the EU and Taiwan, noting that the order also affected other categories such as ice cream, sesame seed, spices and calcium carbonate.

“Rest assured that all Lucky Me! products are Philippine FDA (Food and Drug Administration) registered and comply with local food safety standards and even the US FDA standards for (ethylene oxide),” Monde Nissin stressed.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the FDA, which has the capacity to recall products that will be found to be contaminated and may pose potential health risks to consumers, is now looking into the issue of instant noodle products that were said to be contaminated with ethylene oxide.?

“Whichever is detected by the FDA as having this chemical, they will be immediately removed from the market. Whichever affected specific batches and lot numbers are determined, they will be recalled from the market,” Vergeire said in a virtual media briefing.

She clarified though that the Department of Health is not yet issuing any recall order since the FDA is still conducting an investigation on the alleged contaminated food products. – With Iris Gonzales, Rhodina Villanueva