Jordan has banned imports of soy sauce from the Far East following British researchers' discovery of carcinogenic chemicals in samples they tested, said a health ministry official on Wednesday.
All Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have banned imports of all soy sauce made in Thailand, China (including Hong Kong), Taiwan and Singapore.
According to the British Food Standards Agency (FSA), the soy sauce manufactured in Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan contains 3-monocholoropropane (3-MCP), a chemical which if used regularly can cause cancer in humans, Ahmad Barmawi, director of the food control department, told the Jordan Times.
The ordinance was distributed to the Greater Amman Municipality, the ministries of agriculture and industry and health departments throughout the kingdom, added Barmawi.
“All parties are working hand-in-hand to ensure that no soy sauce from the Far East is available in markets or restaurants,” he noted.
“Soy sauce is not a regularly used material among Jordanian citizens, it is mainly used in restaurants” and as such “there is no need for worry,” he said.
For their part, several chefs working in Chinese restaurants in Jordan said the ban would not affect their menus because soy sauce from other countries will still be sold in the markets.
Others added that they had enough soy sauce imported from the Far East to last them a long time.
“It won't affect us because we already use the American kind which we buy locally,” one Chinese chef told the paper. – Albawaba.com
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