CONTAMINANTS - Soy Sauce Products and the FSA's Advice to Consumers

Suzi Leather, deputy chair of the Food Standards Agency, commented:

'There is no reason to avoid Chinese food and the Agency has never advised it.

' We are saying that a limited range of products has been identified as a problem. And the chemicals involved take effect if consumed on a daily basis over a long period of time. Our main concern is therefore the health of people in East and South East Asian communities. They are clearly the people potentially at risk from these chemicals. '

Other key facts are:

• The majority of products that the FSA tested (78 out of 100 samples) gave no cause for concern
• None of the products sampled from major retail chains posed any safety concern
• The actual proportion of the UK market taken by these products is thought to be very small
• Action is being taken to remove any of the products that may still be on sale
• Anyone who wants to check the products that the Agency surveyed that contain the high levels of chemicals can see details, including bottle labels, on the Agency's website: www.foodstandards.gov.uk