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| A package of yellow powder containing Auramine O. – Photo news.zing.vn |
Viet Nam News
KHÁNH HÒA — A manufacturing establishment in central Khánh Hòa Province was fined VNĐ85 million (US$3,800) for using banned chemicals in food colouring.
Inspectors of the provincial Health Department discovered packages of yellow powder without clear origin stored at the establishment located on Nguyễn Trọng Kỷ Street in Cam Lợi Ward.
The powder was identified by Nha Trang Pasteur Institute to contain VAT Yellow or Auramine O, a banned substance in food processing under the Health Ministry’s regulations.
The establishment’s owner Hà Ngọc Thanh Vũ confessed that the substance was mixed with rice powder to add an attractive yellow colour to Mỳ Quảng (rice noodles with pork and shrimp), a famous dish of Hội An ancient town in central Quảng Nam Province.
The workshop has reportedly been operating for the last 30 years and produces 100-150kg of noodles per day, which are mainly consumed in Khánh Hòa Province’s Cam Ranh City and HCM City.
The authorised body asked the establishment to dispose of the substance and the noodles that contained VAT Yellow and ensure the violation was not repeated.
In Việt Nam, despite the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s ban on import and use of VAT Yellow in food processing, many food manufacturers continue to illegally use the substance in bamboo shoots, chicken and noodles to make the food appear more visually appealing.
According to health experts, VAT yellow is only meant to be used for fabric, paper dye or wall painting.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer ranks it fifth out of 116 leading substances that might cause cancers in the world. — VNS
