4 Cream Cheese in S’pore Recalled Due to Presence of a Pesticide

If you love cream cheese and you buy them often to use in your cooking or baking, you’ll want to take note.

4 Cream Cheese in S’pore Recalled Due to Presence of a Pesticide

A recall notification has been issued by the European Commission’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed for Le Gall Cream Cheese products from France due to the presence of a pesticide, ethylene oxide.

The products include:

  • Le Gall Cream Cheese Plain (150g)
  • Le Gall Cream Cheese Garlic & Herbs (150g)
  • Le Gall Cream Cheese Strawberry (150g)
  • Le Gall Natural Cream Cheese (1kg).

Based on a press release issued by the Singapore Food Agency (SPA), the products were imported into the country via two importers, Classic Fine Foods (S) and Angliss Singapore.

The SPA has asked the importers to recall the products accordingly.

The recall is currently underway.

If you’re thinking, “Why so many food products are getting recalled? Where does Singapore get their food anyway?” Well, you asked the correct question for we have a video for you:

What Do You Do If You Bought Any of These Products?

If you happen to buy any of these products, it’s important that you do not consume them.

What if you’ve already used your cream cheese in last night’s pasta dinner or you’ve baked it into a cheesecake and gave some to everyone you know?

Well, according to the SPA, if you’re worried, you should definitely seek medical advice.

Don’t forget to let everyone who received a slice of your delicious cheesecake know about the recall as well!

They might want to check in with their doctors too!

More Details About Ethylene Oxide

Ethylene Oxide is typically used as a chemical intermediate in the manufacture of a variety of goods, including antifreeze, detergents, medicine, adhesives and solvents.

It is also used, in small amounts, as a fumigant or as a sterilant for food (mainly spices) and cosmetics.

For items that can’t be sterilised using steam, ethylene oxide is used to sterilise surgical equipment and plastic devices in hospitals as well.

According to the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to ethylene oxide may cause a series of symptoms.

They include:

  • Headache
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhoea
  • Breathing difficulty
  • Drowsiness
  • Weakness
  • Exhaustion
  • Eye and skin burns
  • Frostbite
  • Reproductive effects

Although ethylene oxide is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as being carcinogenic to humans, ingesting small amounts of ethylene oxide would likely only cause stomach upset and pain.

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Featured Image: Facebook (Singapore Food Agency (SFA))