I had a post in this particular brand of instant noodles not too long ago and HORROR OF HORRORS!!! Imagine my shock yesterday when somebody shared a link to this video clip on Facebook to bring the matter to my attention…
If you are not proficient in Mandarin, it seems that the noodles are banned in Taiwan and this is due to the presence of certain chemicals used as preservatives in the seasoning – namely methyl p-hydroxybenzoate and benzoic acid, permitted for use only in the manufacture of cosmetics, that are harmful to your health. If consumed, consumers are at risk of vomiting. Also, when consumed regularly or in amounts substantially, consumers will suffer metabolic acidosis, or too much acid in the body.
You can read the detailed report here.
I understand that this particular brand is the best seller in New Zealand and with all their stringent laws and checks regarding the import of food into the country, I am very surprised that it has not been banned there yet. According to the report:
The Indomie importer, Fok Hing (HK) Trading, said the noodles meet the food safety standards of Hong Kong and the World Health Organization, citing a June quality examination that did not find banned preservatives.
“The Indomie noodles are safe to eat and they entered the Hong Kong market via legal import channels,” it said. “The poisoned products found in Taiwan are suspected of being imported in illegal ways.”
It seems that two supermarkets in Hong Kong have taken the noodles off their shelves. Whatever it is, I am definitely not going to take any chances – I quickly informed my daughter in Wellington about this, asking her not to eat this particular brand anymore and on my part, I still have two big packs of the noodles that I bought when I was in Kuching…but in view of the situation, I will resort to using my own seasoning when cooking them…and that would be mean that I will be tossing the cooked noodles with Bovril instead.
As they say, better be safe than sorry…
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
😦
Not me. I can live without it… I eat it mostly because of the convenience – easy to cook, no need to go out to eat and it’s cheap and nice. With this sudden development, I’ll just have to look for other alternatives…
eh.. me FIRST! for the very FIRST time! Stp.. what happen? You dun normally publish a post at this hour! 😀
Emergency… Have to bring this matter to everybody’s attention urgently but I guess it’s in the newspapers already today.
hahahha…you know what, the other after reading your post on indon mee..i go and get two packets for myself and i told my mum about it and now she is your silent reader too.
I had two packet last week, taste not bad. THis morning, my mum called me super early and inform me cannot take indon mee anymore, it is harmful to our health. Maybe like you, i will use the balance to cook it with bovril.
Or just keep for a while…and see if it is banned in Malaysia as well or not. Maybe it’s true – those were smuggled ones…or it may just be a rumour that they spread to protect their own local-made instant noodles. See if countries like Australia and NZ will ban the brand or not – they’re the best sellers there and those countries are very particular/strict about such things.
I think I’ll follow your style.. and season with bovril or marmite instead .. 😦
…or soy sauce, good enough!
Wah, got cosmetic chemicals……ladies eat already don’t have to go to beauty spa or use SK11 liao! ha ha ha!
Hahahaha!!! You sexist! I will not reply to your comment – let the ladies come and trash you themselves!!! Muahahahaha!!!! 😀
i always feel Nissin noodle is safer to eat.
Sigh!!! I think I will just stay away from noodles for a while now…
According to the report, the noodles also contain excessive benzoic acid. So, don’t toss and eat the noodles too. Trash them!
Oh dear….Sobs! Sobs!!!
And there’s always this ban on our local yellow noodles – saying that it has a high content of boric acid or something…and everywhere, everyone’s eating it! Btw, unless you make your own bread like my cousin, Gerrie, there are lots of preservatives in your bread too…and even rice! Sigh!!! Nothing left to eat anymore…
Try some of those organic ones – available at the shop at Civic Centre. I love their wheat noodles!
There’s a shop in Rejang Park too…but these shops selling “organic” stuff are usually small and unimpressive – I would think twice about buying anything from them. Usually a lot more expensive and how organic, no one knows. Moderation is the key – everything in moderation and we should be fine…hopefully!
in fact, i don’t see much indomie in the market now. mostly only ‘ibumie’ but same brown color packing like indomie…
That’s the Malaysian version… Dunno anything about those. Whatever it is, best not to eat too often. I read somewhere that students here and abroad eat only that – three packets a day – fast and easy to cook…and Indon maids overseas eat as much of those as well as they are cheap/affordable to them and nice.
yeah my mom was telling me the same thing! I guess we better avoid this at this mean time.
Yup…not like there is nothing else to eat. But students and yuppies away from home – I think this may be the only thing they can cook…and eating out may be too expensive, especially those overseas. They will have a problem…
how about maggi and cintan? i buy those most of the time but actually do not take them often..
Eyew…Maggi! Can’t stand the texture of the noodles…and the chicken flavour isn’t nice…and it’s relatively more expensive. Don’t mind Cintan…but best to eat such things sparingly – once in a long while – all the chemicals and preservatives. Even if they are safe, it doesn’t change the face that they are artificial/unnatural… Can’t be absolutely good for consumption.
i cant eat any instant noodles without permission! 😦 i know its a good thing but u noe some of them really yummy! :p
A lot of other things that are much more yummy… Can live without them, not a problem at all.
this is scary. better eat these instant noodle sparingly regardless of what brand. Just like what you said, nothing left for us to eat anymore. All contain chemicals. even milk powder…….:(
Yes, best if in moderation – everything!
That’s really scary. I’m always sceptical of the seasoning in instant noodles. Better cook ourselves. I’m sure you can cook much better ones than those instant ones 🙂 I remember a colleague of mine would get so angry if he sees anyone eating instant noodles. He said that was how his brother died young and left behind his wife and young children 😦 His brother was teaching in the rural area and was too lazy to cook and ate instant noodles very often. I’ll always remember that.
You can make your own noodles! That should be pretty safe, I guess… Must try and do it myself too one of these days. Hopefully, I’ll manage. 😉
now what am i going to do with the noodles?
You can take them back to Ta Kiong and demand a refund…and threaten to sue them for selling such harmful stuff! Tsk! Tsk!
alamak bro…i bought a pack last week at tesco…it is my fav brand leh…gosh…is it msia safe to eat also?
Dunno…so far no sound. Just wait and see….and in the meantime, don’t eat!
It is my fav brand also, still have in a few stored in my cabinet, never mind, wallop those first then stop buying,,,,, on the hindsight, i think may be the Taiwanese has a higher standard of test lah.. here in Malaysia, can kau tim one lol,,hahahahahahah.
anyway, eating all these instant stuff is not at all good, right?
Yup…so since you intend to eat your existing stock, space them out…so you will not be eating so much at one go – one in one or two months should be all right…and don’t use the seasoning.
one word – VEGEMITE !!!!!!
Eyewwwww….not the Ozzie Vegemite! Bought a bottle once because of the song “Down Under” (Men-at-work) in which “Vegemite sandwich” was mentioned and in the end, I threw the whole bottle away. Give me Bovril anytime…or MARMITE!!! 😉
Oh no! I love indomie 😦 But actually now I prefer Korean noodles more coz I found a shop that sells it at only RM9.90 for 5 packs! And each packet weighs more than the normal size noodle so it’s really filling 🙂
I tried the Korean ones – more expensive but I did not think it was really that nice. Wouldn’t want to spend all that money on them…and I wonder how safe they actually are – lots of artificial flavouring and preservatives as well. I’m sure. 😦
Ouh…no…indomie was banned? That serious? How come we can still consume them?
Don’t ask me! You ask me, I ask who? And the Malaysian importer and distributor, as printed on the pack, is from MELAKA…..Alor Gajah, Melaka! 😦
it’s banned? hmmm….
In Taiwan. So far, no sound from our Malaysian authorities – or none that I know of. 😦
whoaaaaa. :O
shocking news! now what i am going to do with the instant noodle in my room 😦
Feed your pets, if you have any? Muahahahaha!!!!
Oh no that bad huh..tQ for giving us the instant shock..
Chesh!!! The thanks I get for trying to be helpful! Sulk! Sulk! 😦
Went to woolies today, so far no news of recalling this product yet, normally if a product is NQR, the supermarkets here are very quick with their action. I still got 1/2 box ibu indomie n 1pkt of indomie meegoreng left…wonder if this could just be a sabotage…so probably just wait n see…haiya, no such thing as purely organic nowadays, even the air we breathe is not organic…everything in moderation.
Yup…my sentiments exactly – everything in moderation…and I also have the feeling that it may be sabotage – to protect their own brands, or else countries like Oz and NZ would be up in arms already!
haha…saw a lot of this in Batam here. LOL. luckily i never buy and taste. haha…
Batam? Singapore?…And it’s not banned there either? See! That’s why I really wonder about this Taiwan case…
according to some studies… too much eating of preservative foods can cause hepatitis or other related diseases…. some chemicals used for these foods can poison the blood… just dont know how true is this
True, very true… So it is better not to eat too much of something…or too frequently.
i hardly take instant noodles..still prefer fresh ones.
Well, the fresh ones aren’t that fresh either – with the “acid” used to make it firm… Best is to have everything in moderation…
My worst fears confirmed. It’s too bad. I loved Indomie when I discovered it, same thing with Chan pui mui, my favorite snack since my student bought me a pack but have stopped taking it. These days, I never buy any foodstuffs from China. Those guys over there don’t have any conscience, they’ll do anything for a buck, including killing you with their food additives.
Very true… My missus says the same thing all the time but on the other hand, she will fry her mihun with the canned clams in soy sauce (Amoy Brand) or oysters – all from China. Tsk! Tsk!
Hehe… luckily I can only afford to eat Malaysia made instant noodles!:p
Why? They’re cheap…cheaper than eating outside and more convenient, though not necessarily nicer.
Wah! This is scary. But then again, eating instant foods have some risks because manufacturers uses chemicals to preserve the food for a very long time. This is the reason why I do not eat instant noodles everyday thus to lessen the risk caused by the preservatives.
Every day!!?? Of course, you mustn’t eat them everyday. Some students away from home – dunno how to cook or no time to cook or no money to eat outside…would have those instant noodles all the time, every meal. That’s very unhealthy and very dangerous.
Actually, we never use any of the seasonings ever. Just the noodles for the texture and portioning. Own sesame oil, chilli oil and a bit of vinegar is good enough and some shredded seaweed…
Well, somebody (Yan) says that the benzoic acid is in the noodles….?
ayo.. I just saw it too. I think if you’re talking about the methly-what-what…it is present in most food, as a preservative. I don’t eat the Indo-mee much, but I do eat all kinds of other instant noodle. I think I’m going to die..and be preserved very very very well!
Also, I drink ketchup and chilli sauce. Confirm I can be preserved la! No need to cremate edi. ;D
Yahor…embalmed, will not rot at all. LOL!!! They’ve preservatives in everything, even in the loaf of fresh bread from the bakery. Dunno how much has got into us already…. 😦
so is the Indomie sold in S’pore… govt says
It is…obviously, since the report says that they test them regularly and will test again in light of what has happened in Taiwan. I think it was Gabriel who commented that they sell a lot of that in Batam.