The popular Pinoy noodle brand “Lucky Me!”, which is manufactured and owned by Monde Nissin, assured the public that their staples are “Philippine FDA registered and comply with local food safety standards and even the US FDA standards for Ethylene Oxide.”
This is after the governments of France, Ireland, and Malta issued separate health warnings to their constituents, recalling several variants of Lucky Me! noodle soup has a presence of ethylene oxide, a gas commonly used as a pesticide in noodles in beef mami flavor and pancit canton with the original, hot chili, kalamansi, and chilimansi flavors, manufactured between 2021 and 2022.
The Irish government said that the pesticide is not authorized for use in food sold in the EU. Although the consumption of the contaminated products does not pose an acute risk to health, there may be health issues if there is continued consumption of ethylene oxide over a long period of time. Therefore, exposure to this substance needs to be minimized.
They also noted that some of the Lucky Me! products being recalled were manufactured in Thailand.
The French government also told consumers to stop consuming the products, return them to where they were bought, and even destroy them.
However, Monde Nissin issued a statement on July 7, after three European Union (EU) countries complained about the alleged presence of Ethylene Oxide, clarifying that the said pesticide “is not added in Lucky Me!”
https://web.facebook.com/luckyme.ph/photos/a.346483505480742/4994578757337837/
Meanwhile, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the FDA is currently looking at this type of food and needs to verify it based on the FDA’s process.
According to Vergeire, a person who is exposed to ethylene oxide may experience headaches, vomiting, and loose bowel movements. In extreme cases, the chemical can cause difficulty in breathing. She assured the public that they would release the results after the FDA’s probe.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/luckyme.ph, https://www.fsai.ie/news_centre/food_alerts/lucky_me_noodles.html, https://www.facebook.com/DOImalta
