Singapore says biscuits are safe to eat despite cancer claims

By Low De Wei

(Bloomberg) — Singapore’s food agency said biscuits and crackers are safe to consume after a Hong Kong watchdog warned that cancer-causing substances were found in some products, including those manufactured in Malaysia.

Compounds such as acrylamide and glycidol are naturally formed when food products are processed at high temperatures, through frying, baking and roasting. There’s no evidence that “conclusively demonstrates” these substances can cause cancer in humans, the Singapore Food Agency said.

The Hong Kong Consumer Council said this month that the chemical carcinogens were detected in 60 samples of biscuits it tested, including cream crackers from Malaysia’s Hup Seng Industries Bhd that are ubiquitous around Singapore.

The manufacturing of biscuits and crackers involves food processing at high temperatures and the use of ingredients that contain refined fats and oils. It is therefore “expected” that those substances were detected in the samples tested, Singapore’s food safety authority said.

“It is impossible to prevent the occurrence of such compounds in food products,” it said in response to questions from Bloomberg News.

The agency urged manufacturers to reduce the presence of these compounds as much as possible and advised consumers to avoid the excessive consumption of food processed at high temperatures such as fried and roasted products.

Shares of Malaysia’s Hup Seng Industries slid to a 19-month low on Monday after the Hong Kong report, but are now trading higher on the week.

© 2021 Bloomberg L.P.