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Vietnamese Famous Instant Noodle Recalled by Ireland. (Photo: Soha)

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) published a "recall of certain batches of instant noodle products due to the presence of the unauthorized pesticide ethylene oxide" on Aug. 20. The list consists of three products, one of which is the popular Vietnamese brand, Hao Hao Sour hot shrimp flavored instant noodle made by Acecook.

The other two are Yato Seafood flavored instant noodle dish from China, and good spare ribs flavored instant noodle, also by Vietnamese company Acecook.

Regarding ethylene oxide, FSAI said "This pesticide is not authorized for use in food sold in the EU. Although the consumption of the contaminated product does not pose an acute risk to health, there may be health issues if there is the continued consumption of ethylene oxide over a long period of time. Therefore, exposure to this substance needs to be minimized."

Three instant noodle products on the list. (Photo: FSAI)

Point-of-sale recall notices will be displayed in stores supplied with the implicated batches, FSAI said.

As reported by Zing, after purchasing Acecook's Hao Hao noodles through Amazon UK, customers received a recall email. Amazon UK said the decision was issued by the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed. Customers will be refunded, according to the email.

Responding to Thanh Nien newspaper about this incident, a representative of Acecook Vietnam confirmed that the recalled product was a version for export, not in the same batch as domestic products sold in Vietnam.

An email by Amazon UK. (Photo: Zing)

"Acecook Vietnam does not use ethylene oxide technology at any stage of production. We are currently carrying out analysis, tests, and investigations on a large scale in raw materials, equipment, and related processes to determine the cause and will take timely and effective countermeasures to ensure product quality and safety," the representative said.

"At the same time, we have also worked with our material suppliers, who also insist against using ethylene oxide in their production. We have asked them to absolutely not use it in the production, and absolutely comply with commitments to Acecook Vietnam,"

At the end of 2020, Korea also recalled a number of instant pho produced by Acecook because of the high Benzo(a)pyrene percentage in their flavoring oils.

Acecook Vietnam responded that those suspected products were Peacock instant pho produced according to Emart Korea's order, which meant they were not for sale in the Vietnamese market.

According to the company investigation, Benzo(a)pyrene was derived from dried cardamom, a raw spice used in the oil package, not related to any production stage of Acecook Vietnam factory.

Since its establishment in 1993, Acecook Vietnam has become a leading manufacturer of foodstuffs in Vietnam, especially in the market of instant processed products. The company best-known products include Hao Hao, So Do, De Nhat instant noodles, and Phu Huong vermicelli.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is the statutory body responsible for ensuring food produced, distributed, or marketed in Ireland complies with food safety and hygiene standards, best practice codes, and legal requirements.

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