Acid in 16 brands of bread within safe level

Star: PENANG: Safe. This is the result of tests carried out by the Health Ministry on 16 popular brands of bread.
The tests showed that the preservatives used in the bread were within the permissible level and safe for consumption.
Health Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon said the ministry carried out random sampling and found the content of propionic acid within the permissible range.
“Bread in the market is safe for consumption,” he said after opening the Lions' Club health programme for senior citizens at the Caring Society Complex here yesterday.
The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) had claimed last Wednesday that they found high levels of propionic acid in 46 of 50 samples of bread tested.
Said Lee: “We will check with CAP on their research and sampling methods,” he said, adding that he had also instructed health officers to carry out further checks.
CAP President S.M. Mohamed Idris had claimed that some of the bread bought from Kuala Lumpur and Penang had up to five times the permitted level of propionic acid.
The preservative is used to prevent the growth of mould and certain bacteria. It is usually used in cheese, bread and other bakery products to keep them fresh.
Idris had said that under the Food Regulations Act, propionic acid – which was known to cause migraine – should not exceed 2,000mg per kilogram of bread.
On the recent controversy over SK-II cosmetic products, Lee said tests based on random sampling found relatively low chromium and neodymium.
“We assume the products are safe. But one needs to be careful when using such products. It will not give adverse effects if used according to prescription,” he added.
The controversy arose when the Guangdong Centre for Inspection and Quarantine in China recently found that the products imported from Japan contained chromium and neodymium.
Manufacturer Procter & Gamble (M) Sdn Bhd yesterday placed a full-page advertisement that all SK-II products here complied with standards and regulations.
It said the amount of chromium from the use of the cosmetics was 100 times less than what the World Health Organisation considered as safe in the daily diet while the neodymium exposure was 1,000 times less than the safe level.