Consumer Protection Council: More than 20% of foods contain excessive aluminum, with kelp containing the highest amount

In order to promote safe food, the Executive Yuan Consumer Protection Council recently conducted random inspections on the aluminum content of commercially available products. A total of 92 samples were collected from convenience stores, hypermarkets, supermarkets and bakery shops in the Greater Taipei area, covering five major categories of food: kelp, cakes, vermicelli (winter noodles), steamed buns and rice crackers. The sampling results found that 22 items exceeded the standard of 100PPM (mg/kg) recommended by scholars, accounting for 24% of the total. Among them, the kelp rolls from the well-known supermarket Jasons Market Place exceeded the standard by 14 times (1441.61PPM), and the English muffins from Shuncheng Cake also exceeded the standard by 6 times (608.02PPM).

The Consumer Protection Association reminds that the aluminum content in kelp products deserves attention. (Photo/taken from Chinese Medicine Health Network)

The Consumer Protection Council announced today the inspection results of aluminum content in food, showing that among 92 samples, 22 contained aluminum content greater than 100PPM; 42 contained aluminum content between 1PPM and 100PPM; and 28 contained aluminum content less than 1PPM. If analyzed by type, kelp products (kelp roots, kelp knots, kelp rolls, etc.) have the highest aluminum content. All 9 sampled products exceeded the standard, with the lowest data being 258.62PPM and the highest being 1441.61PPM.

If we observe the overall content of aluminum in food, from high to low, they are kelp rolls from Jasons Market Place (1441.61 PPM), kelp shreds and kelp rolls from Wellcome Department Store Co., Ltd. (616.34 PPM and 554.19 PPM), English muffins from Shun Cheng Cake (608.02 PPM), and muffins from RT-Mart Distribution Co., Ltd. (530.12 PPM).

The Consumer Protection Council said that after sending staff to visit or interview businesses to understand the reasons why the aluminum content in food is too high, it was found that the main cause is the addition of too many aluminum-containing food additives. This is because such food additives (such as alum, aluminum-containing leavening agents) can make food expand, extend the shelf life, absorb water or make it elastic, which has a positive effect on the product's price, appearance and taste, but there is also the risk of causing harm to consumers' health.

Given that consuming foods with excessive aluminum content may affect the reproductive system and developing nervous system of animals, this has always been a concern that the medical community has found difficult to dispel. However, the Department of Health, the competent authority, has not yet set relevant standards for limiting the aluminum content in food. However, in order to eliminate the concerns of the general public, the Consumer Protection Council recommends that the Department of Health include the risk of exposure to dietary aluminum in the 101st research plan and quickly study the feasibility of establishing a limit standard for the aluminum content in food. Before the limit standard is established, the Council will actively guide businesses not to use aluminum-containing food additives or to use other additives that are more in line with health and safety, and conduct inspections and track improvements after 3 months to ensure that consumers can eat with peace of mind.

In addition, the Consumer Protection Office also reminds consumers that the aluminum content in dried kelp is usually lower and can be used as a reference for selection. If a consumer dispute occurs, you can call the 1950 consumer service hotline, file a complaint with the local government consumer service center, or file an online complaint on the Executive Yuan Consumer Protection Commission website (http://www.cpc.ey.gov.tw) to protect your own rights.