[UPDATED] ‘Ah Lai White Curry Noodles’ expiring Aug 25 to be recalled

KUALA LUMPUR – The Health Ministry (MoH) has ordered that the batch of “Ah Lai White Curry Noodles” expiring on August 25 be taken off the shelves as a precaution, even though samples of the product have passed local standards, Health Director-General Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said.

“For Ah Lai White Curry Noodles, sampling in Malaysia found that it is in line with standards. Even so, to ensure continuous food safety, MoH has ordered the company to retract the product voluntarily,” he said in a statement.

As for the “Indomie: Special Chicken Flavour”, Radzi said the product will also be withdrawn from shelves and incoming batches will be held and tested before release at the country’s import entry points.

MoH’s move follows the Taipei Health Department’s discovery of ethylene oxide in a batch of Ah Lai White Curry Noodles from Malaysia and Indomie Special Chicken Flavour noodles from Indonesia during the city’s 2023 inspection of instant noodles.

It said while ethylene oxide was detected in both the noodles and flavour packet of the Malaysian product, it was found only in the flavour packet of the Indonesian product.

Radzi today said that ethylene oxide, which is linked to lymphoma and leukaemia, is a chemical gas used in fumigation and in detergents.

“It is not to be used on surfaces that come into contact with food,” he said.

Yesterday, media reported the Penang-based company making the brand of Ah Lai noodles as having sent samples of its products for its own testing, following the Taipei health authority’s discovery. – The Vibes, April 26, 2023