KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — The health ministry has reiterated that the use of benzoyl peroxide in wheat flour is not harmful to consumer health.
Its director-general, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), the international body set up under the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) had verified the substance was safe to use.
He said CAC allowed the use of the substance, not exceeding 75mg/kg, in wheat flour by accounting the frequent consumption of wheat-flour-based foods.
“Besides that, the adding of benzoyl peroxide in wheat flour is also allowed in Singapore, Japan and the United States while in Australia, the New Zealand Food Standards Code had allowed it to be used in all kind of foods,” he added.
Dr Noor Hisham said this to Bernama when asked to comment on claims by the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association that the substance could be harmful to the extent of causing cancer to consumers.
The association was also reported to have claimed that a memorandum was sent to the ministry to ban the production of any brand of wheat flour, identified to contain benzoyl peroxide.
Benzoyl peroxide is added to oxidise the natural carotenoid in flour to give it a white colour and the Food Regulations 1985(PPM 1985) allows the use of benzoyl peroxide as a food additive, not exceeding 50mg/kg.
However, Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry would not hesitate to take appropriate action if there was scientific proof from international bodies like CAC and JECFA, proving any ingredient in food was harmful to health.
“This includes reviewing existing regulations under PPM 1985,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ministry’s Food Safety and Quality director, Nooraini Mohd Othman stressed that benzoyl peroxide was not carcinogenic which could cause cancer. — Bernama
