Chinese Cooking-Oil Maker Says Cancer-Causing Chemical Found in Product

Source: Bloomberg

Jinhao Camellia Oil Corp., a Chinese maker of cooking oils, said about 42.5 tons of one of its products contained excessive amounts of a cancer-causing chemical.

Nine batches of the company’s camellia oil contained amounts of the chemical benzo(a)pyrene that exceeded allowed limits, Jinhao, based in the southern province of Hunan, said on its website yesterday. The company also issued a public apology and said it had already recalled 11.15 tons of the oil sold in March and that another 22.36 tons had been sealed at its warehouse by the provincial government. It didn’t give details of what happened to the remaining oil.

China has pledged to improve food safety, appointing Vice Premier Li Keqiang head of a commission in February tasked with overseeing quality, after the sale of baby formula tainted with the chemical melamine killed at least six children in 2008. Premier Wen Jiabao in March called for investigations into any instances of negligence or misconduct that may be the cause of food-safety scandals.

“We are deeply sorry about the anxieties brought to our customers,” Jinhao said on its website. The company had on Aug. 20 issued a statement promising that its oils were “safe and reliable” in response to what it said were online rumors about its products, which it didn’t identify.

Benzo(a)pyrene is classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a probable human carcinogen. Multiple animal studies have shown the chemical to be carcinogenic, while there is a lack of data specifically linking benzo(a)pyrene to cancer in humans, according to the EPA’s website.

Caixin Online reported Aug. 30 that the company and local government officials had known about excessive levels of the chemical in Jinhao’s oil since March and kept the information from being released publicly in a bid to “maintain social stability.”

Calls to the offices of Hunan province’s quality supervision department weren’t immediately answered today. Calls to the offices of Jinhao seeking comment were referred to an official surnamed Zhou, who didn’t immediately answer calls to his mobile phone.