FDA pulls pesticide-laced pot noodles

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended sales of a Korean instant noodles brand after Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) announced that pesticide residue was found in some packages.

On Jan 17, the TFDA announced that 0.075 milligrammes of ethylene oxide, a substance largely used for sterilisation in pesticides, was detected in the seasoning powder of Nongshim's Shin Ramyun Black Tofu and Kimchi cup noodles.

The FDA revealed that the same noodles were brought to Thailand via Prothai Co Ltd, a Korean food-importing company.

There are 480 imported cup noodles by Nongshim which will expire on Feb 4 and 2,560 cup noodles which will expire on May 8. The FDA has advised that consumers avoid consuming cup noodles with the aforementioned expiry dates.

The FDA has suspended the sale of all Nongshim's Shin Ramyun Black Tofu and Kimchi cup noodles and has collected samples for further chemical analysis.

Ethylene oxide is on a list of banned farming chemicals endorsed by the Department of Agriculture. Any person who manufactures, sells or imports food in which residue of ethylene oxide is detected can be fined up to 50,000 baht. For consumers who wish to lodge complaints about suspect food ingredients or substandard dietary products, the FDA welcomes reports via its hotline, 1556, or its official LINE account @FDAThai.