Hong Kong Consumer Council finds cancer-causing substances in all 60 biscuit types subject to testing

Watchdog says study of biscuits, crackers and wafers shows carcinogens presence across the board, even though it is possible to avoid introducing the contaminants

Forty per cent of products carry misleading labelling, raising major concerns for those with health conditions relying on accurate information

Reading Time:3 minutes

The Muji Shiruko Sandwich Cracker recorded the highest acrylamide reading of the tested products. Photo: Handout

Published: 7:44pm, 18 Oct 2021Updated: 3:28pm, 21 Oct 2021

Cancer-causing substances were detected in all 60 samples of pre-packaged biscuits and crackers tested by Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog, which also found that 40 per cent of the products carried misleading nutrition labels.

The Consumer Council also revealed on Monday that most of the analysed snacks – including crackers, sandwich biscuits and wafers – were high in fat, sugar or salt.

The watchdog said the full set of samples contained contaminants – glycidol or acrylamide, or both – which emerged during the processing of the biscuits at high temperatures. Animal testing indicates the genotoxic carcinogens may induce cancer, the council says.

“We believe that these kinds of contaminants are possible to avoid because according to our findings some of the ingredients in these biscuits are palm oil ... You can minimise the contaminants as much as possible,” said Gilly Wong Fung-han, CEO of the council.

Gilly Wong heads up the Consumer Council. Photo: David Wong

Palm oil refined at high temperatures carries potential carcinogenic risks, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).