Recall of starch-based products from Taiwan over maleic acid taint
POSTED: 26 May 2013 4:30 PM
Photo shows two of the 11 starch-based products from Taiwan that were found to contain maleic acid in them. (Photo: Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore)
SINGAPORE: Eleven starch-based products from Taiwan - mostly tapioca starch balls used in bubble tea - have been withdrawn from sale.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said it has tested 66 starch-based products from Taiwan and found maleic acid in 11 of them.
The recalled products are:
- Hong Tapioca Starch
- Redman Black Tapioca Pearl
- Sun Right Indica Rice Powder
- Top 1 Tapioca Pearls
- Tea World Tapioca Starch Ball
- Unbranded Starch Ball
- Ting Long Tapioca Pearls
- Sun Chi Noodles
- T&M Resources Corp Tapioca Pearls
- Pure Tea Tapioca Pearls (White)
- Pure Tea Tapioca Pearls (Black)
AVA said it informed the importers of the 11 products to withdraw them from sale immediately and the withdrawal has been completed.
It advised consumers who have bought the products to either return them to the retailer or discard them.
The announcement on Sunday came after the recall of Sunright brand tapioca balls in Singapore when the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration detected maleic acid in some food products.
AVA said maleic acid is not an approved additive and it is also not an additive that is usually used in manufacturing food products.
It added that long term consumption of high levels of maleic acid can cause kidney damage though occasional consumption at the levels detected does not pose any significant health risk.
AVA said it will continue its surveillance of products from Taiwan to ensure that they do not contain maleic acid.
- CNA/fa
