The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) said in a statement yesterday that it has suspended the production and sale of three local noodle products as they were found to contain an excessive amount of preservatives – sulphur dioxide.
According to the statement, the three problematic products – fine egg noodles, “cart noodles” and egg thick noodles – by three noodle manufacturers, Kuong Chao Cheok Kei (“廣州卓記制麵河粉廠”) on Rua do Padre António Roliz, Nam Fung Min Ka (“南豐麵家”) on Rua Um do Bairro da Concórdia and SHING FA NOODLES (“成發粉麵廠”) on Travessa do Ultramar, were found, respectively, to contain 56.7 parts per million, 22.8 parts per million, and 22.4 parts per million of sulphur dioxide.
The statement underlined that sulphur dioxide, which acts as a bleaching agent and preservative in flour, noodles and other kinds of food, will not pose a health risk to the general public consuming normal quantities of the products. However, the statement also stressed that those who have asthma or allergies could develop symptoms such as hyperventilation, headaches and vomiting after intake of sulphur dioxide.
