On June 22, New Zealand followed Britain in warning against the consumption of soy sauce after a survey found some brands of the condiment may contain cancer-causing chemicals. New Zealand supermarkets pulled soy sauce from their shelves after the warnings, based on a survey conducted by the UK Food Standards Authority survey that found nearly a quarter of 100 sampled soy sauce products contained high levels of 3-MCPD, a chemical that can cause cancer if taken daily. Some samples also contained 1,3-DCP, which experts advise should not be present at any level in food. In a formal statement under the Food Act, New Zealand Health Director-General Karen Poutasi advised against the consumption of products containing soy sauce until it was clear whether affected brands, which Britain said came from Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, were also in New Zealand. "At this stage we have the advice from British authorities but no detail to tell us whether the affected batches of the named products have been imported into New Zealand," Poutasi said. Supermarket chain Woolworths (NZ) Ltd, a unit of Hong Kong's Dairy Farms International, reacted by pulling seven soy and oyster sauces from shelves at its 83 stores. "We operate a stringent food safety first programme and are taking no chances even though there may turn out to be no problem with these products," Woolworths said in a statement. Source: Reuters
