10 European countries recall Lucky Me! instant noodles, pancit canton

FOOD safety authorities among 27 members of the European Union (EU) were notified that Lucky Me! instant noodles and pancit canton produced in Thailand have been found to contain traces of pesticide.

This prompted at least 10 EU countries—ireland, France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, The Netherlands, Croatia, Greenland, Faeroe Islands and Malta—to recall the Lucky Me! instant noodles from the market.

Luxembourg, meanwhile, issued an advisory that “recommend” its citizens to “no longer consume contaminated products” like Lucky Me!

The Lucky Me! flavors that were recalled in European Countries were beef noodle soup, Pancit Canton original, Pancit Canton chili, Pancit Canton kalamansi, and Pancit Canton chilimansi.

Lucky Me! is very famous in the Philippines, almost a staple among Filipino poor who could not afford to buy rice. During the early months of the pandemic lockdown in 2020, it was among the items which quickly disappeared from grocery shelves, forcing the Department of Trade and Industry to control its purchase.

On June 23, Germany notified the European Commission’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (R ASFF) that ethylene oxide was found in the “spice mix” from instant noodle dish from Thailand, which was imported by The Netherlands.

Ethylene oxide is a chemical to protect plants and often used as a preservative to keep products fresh. Other countries allow its use, but the European Parliament and European Commission have banned it since 2020.

The EU has one of the highest food safety standards in the world. They have established the RASFF network among member-states so that they can inform all members of potential risks to public detected in the food chain.

France’s General Directorate for Food and Malta’s Environmental Health Directorate said four Lucky Me! noodle variants were found to be non-compliant with the use of “pesticide” on food.

“The content of ethylene oxide present in the product is above the norm,” the French food agency wrote in its advisory.

Ireland’s Food Safety Authority said the use of ethylene oxide is not authorized in foods sold in the European Union.

“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. Therefore, exposure to this substance needs to be minimized,” the Food Safety Authority of Ireland said.

‘Compliant’

MONDE Nissin Corp., the maker of Lucky me! instant noodles, on monday said that its products are registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are compliant with the food safety standards, even with the US FDA standards for ethylene oxide.

“We are aware of information being shared about certain Lucky Me! products in an ongoing recall in the EU and Taiwan due to the presence of ethylene oxide. The recall affects other companies’ noodle brand and multiple categories such as ice cream, sesame seed, spices, calcium carbonate supplements, among others,” the company said.

“We would like to clarify that ethylene oxide is not added in Lucky Me! products. It 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 ehtylene oxide,” it said.

Clueless

AN official of the Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday said that they are still “verifying the report and getting details” after several European countries have issued a safety warning on a popular Filipino noodle brand because of “high level of ethylene oxide.”

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that they would share to the public the results of the investigation of the Philippine FDA in the coming days.