Excessive levels of preservative detected in popular Chinese pickled vegetables
If Chinese pickled vegetables are your favourite, take note of the amount of preservative that some of these foodstuffs may contain.
A Consumer Council test has detected high levels of a preservative, benzoic acid, in 16 out of 53 samples of different kinds of Chinese pickled vegetables popularly in use as food ingredients in Hong Kong.
The levels were in excess of the legal limit of 250 ppm of the Preservatives in Food Regulations.
The 16 samples in question comprised 10 preserved turnip, 2 radish, 2 mustard and 2 bulbous onion. Two of the samples had benzoic acid as much as 2,200 ppm and 2,600 ppm by weight respectively.
The test further revealed that only 6 of the samples detected with preservatives disclosed, on their label, the presence of benzoic acid or sorbic acid. None of the samples detected with sorbic acid was in excess of the legal limit.
Excessive consumption of benzoic acid is undesirable. The Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) limits a 60 kg adult to not more than 300 mg of the preservative.
To illustrate the amount of the preservative one may consume in the case of the worst sample (with 2,600 ppm benzoic acid), a 60 kg adult consuming 116 g of the pickled vegetable, which is slightly more than 1 pack of this foodstuff, would have exceeded the ADI limit.
However, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department opines that occasional excursion above the ADI would have no health consequences provided the average intake over long periods falls within theADI.
Benzoic acid can induce considerable allergic reactions and exacerbation of symptoms in people suffering from asthma, rhinitis orurticaria.
The hazard of excessive intake of preservatives through consuming pickled vegetables can be easily avoided if only consumers would strictly follow the rule of a daily balanced diet.
And as a matter of precautionary practice, consumers are advised to soak preserved vegetables in water to reduce the amount of undesirable substances before cooking.
Council identifies dried melon seeds with harmful mineral oils
The Consumer Council has identified 8 samples of the all-time popular festive food, dried melon seeds, to contain harmful mineral oil.
In the test, the 8 samples - 7 red and 1 black melon seeds - were detected with mineral oil, ranging from 0.05% to 0.30% by weight. 12 other samples included in the test were found to be free of mineral oil.
The samples were identified, in the latest (January) issue of CHOICE, by brandname (for the prepackaged product) or the sales outlet (the non-prepackaged), for the information of consumers concerned over the state of health of dried melon seeds.
Mineral oils are a group of hydrocarbons produced by the acid treatment or hydrogenation of naphthenes or paraffins. Some melon seed suppliers have been known to use mineral oils for cosmetic effect to make their products looking fresh and attractive. So, avoid buying melon seeds that are too glossy as they may contain mineral oil.
The acute effect of excessive ingestion of mineral oil includes gastric upset, nausea, stool softening anddiarrhoea.
The Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of mineral oils varies according to the viscosity of the mineral oils - high, medium or low.
Take the sample detected with the highest mineral oil content (0.30%) for example and assume its mineral oil happens to be of medium to low viscosity. A consumer who has the habit of putting the whole seed with the shell into the mouth, may very well have consumed an excessive amount of mineral oil for the day.
This is because an adult of 60 kg body weight consuming (by swallowing) 1 or 2 whole dried melon seeds with the shell, would have exceeded the limit ofADI.
This is, of course, an assumption of the worst case scenario. Customarily, people do not swallow the whole seed with the shell. Moreover, the level of mineral oil in the edible part of the melon seed is much lower than that of the whole seed.
Also if the mineral oil in the sample is only of a high viscosity, an adult of 60 kg body weight can consume up to 400 g melon seeds, or roughly 2,700 pieces including the shells, without exceeding theADI.
But, as a safety practice, consumers are advised never to put the whole seed with the shell in the mouth. Parents should refrain their children from doing so. There are "seed openers" available in the market which consumers can use to open the seeds manually.
The test findings of both pickled vegetables and dried melon seeds have been forwarded to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department for any further action deemednecessary.
Wide variations in call charges by prepaid SIM cards
A Consumer Council survey on prepaid SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) cards has found substantial variations in their fees and charges, and range of services.
As more people are opting for mobile phone service through the use of prepaid SIM cards, the Council has conducted the survey for comparison and to assist consumers in their choice.
Highlights of the survey covering 16 SIM cards issued by 10 operators include:
- First and foremost, the fees for local calls charged varied from operator to operator from 30 cents to $1 per minute. Besides the unit charge, consumers should take into account the actual stored value, and not just the selling price, of a SIM card. For instance, one SIM card with a stored value of $200 plus a $100 recharge voucher can be bought for $178 only. Some operators (4 out of 10) have also begun to charge Government licence and administration fees from $2 to $2.5 per month.
- Second, take note of the expiry of the "validity period" and "date before activation". Most SIM cards (13 out of 16) offered a validity period of 180 days; but 1 had 120 days and 1 only 90 days. Validity date generally commences upon activation of the SIM card, but one starts from the date of purchase. And if a SIM card provides a "date before activation", consumers must make sure to activate the card on or before that date.
- Third, while some prepaid SIM cards (8 out of 16) do not charge a monthly fee for call-forwarding service (as in the case with service plan), they charge 40 cents to 50 cents per minute after activating this function. So, it could cost you a lot to talk for too long even if you have forwarded the call to a fixed telephone network.
- Lastly, remember that roaming charges by prepaid SIM cards are considerably more expensive than those of service plans. For instance, the roaming charge of making local calls in the US is $25 per minute for prepaid SIM cards compared with $4.8 to $13.6 per minute for service plan subscribers.
Meanwhile, the Consumer Council continued its series of tests on mobile phones. In view of the substantial number of complaints arising from water damage of mobile phones, in the latest test, published in the January issue of CHOICE, a new feature was added to evaluate its performance in relation to humidity.
The samples were subjected to tests from damp heat treatment to contamination with artificial sweat and also rain. Many samples were judged satisfactory in that they operated normally afterwards although some exhibited minor problems such as reduced speaker or ring volume.
Some samples (3 out of 38) exhibited more serious problems such as no LCD display, SIM card errors, inability to make or receive calls, faulty keypad operation, etc.
Users are reminded that as most handsets are not designed to withstand humidity, care should be taken in their usage accordingly.
Comparing aircraft seats for size - the pitch and the width
Is the size of an aircraft seat an important consideration for you in the choice of an airline?
Information collected by the Consumer Council in respect of the space for seated passengers aboard aircrafts will prove quite an eye-opener - particularly if size does matter to you.
The data was provided, on a voluntary basis, by 17 out of 24 airlines operating long-haul flights from Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department imposes a basic mandatory requirement of a minimum seat pitch of 26". This minimum pitch is the distance between the back cushion of your seat and the seat immediate in front.
The survey showed that all airlines which had responded, including the local long-haul passenger carrier regulated by the Department, provide a seat pitch of more than the minimum requirement.
In fact, the seat pitch of the airlines surveyed ranged from 31" to 34" for economy class,38" to 73" for business class, and 60" to 89" for first class.
On the seat width, the survey revealed that in the economy class, it ranged from 17" to 21", a difference of 4". Not an insignificant difference if size does matter to you.
Naturally, seats become progressively wider for passengers of the business and first class. The difference in seat width for these two classes among the airlines was much more noticeable at nearly 9" for the business and first class.
Seat pitch and seat width alone are not sufficiently enough to determine the comfort of an aircraft, other considerations such as legroom, headroom and the degree of recline are equally critical.
Consumers should be wary of the potential hazard of what is commonly known as Economy Class Syndrome.
The proper medical term is Deep Vein Thrombosis and is therefore not confined to only economy class passengers of long-hauled flights. It could, in fact, happen to any passengers on long journey of over 5 hours of travelling time by any other means of transportation.
Council test reveals discrepancy in composition of thermal underwear
A Consumer Council test on thermal underwear has found deviations between the labelled and actual composition of the fabric used.
6 out of 17 models of thermal underwear were found to have deviations in their fiber content. One model was found to provide only the names of fibers, but without the fiber percentages.
The samples comprising 9 for women, 3 unisex and 5 men, were priced over a wide range from $40 to $430. Correct information on the garment fabric is an important factor for consumers to evaluate the value for money of a thermal underwear.
The composition analysis in the test showed that discrepancy existed between the labelled and actual composition in 6 samples. But only 4 models exceeded the tolerance level of 3% commonly adopted in developed economies. The deviations of the main component of these samples ranged from 3.1% to 9.6%.
The test rated the samples (on a scale of 5) for their thermal property. Some were better than the others in respect of thermal resistance of the fabric.
Further, the samples were tested for their water vapour permeability which means the clothing was "breathable" allowing moisture to move away from the skin more effectively.
A high permeability index drawn on the basis of thermal resistance and water vapour permeability indicates that the clothing has high adaptability to a wide range of conditions of use and would be comfortable to wear.
All samples should be able to endure normal wear if laundered properly according to the care instructions though pilling was observed to occur in different degrees and could vary quite considerably.
The samples were also put to a user trial. There was little variation in the overall comfort rating, though there were different comments made such as tightness of the clothing and itchiness. As most of the women underwear were of the closely fit type, consumers are advised to try it on, if possible, to see whether it is comfortable before making the purchase decision.
Market survey on 43 Plasma TV sets
Contemplating the purchase of a Plasma Display Panel TV set for home entertainment during the Chinese New Year period?
A market survey of the Consumer Council has put together a comprehensive shopping guide on this much-coveted wide-screen TV set.
Altogether data for a total of 43 Plasma Display Panels with screen size ranging from 32" to 61" and price from $28,000 to $170,000 is highlighted in the survey for the reference of consumers.
Notably, many models do not have a built-in tuner or include an external tuner as a standard accessory. So, to view TV broadcast, consumers need either to buy separately an external tuner or make use of the tuner in a video cassette recorder.
Besides the high initial purchase price, consumers should also take into account annual subscription fees of maintenance schemes. Some agents charge according to the size of the screen. Generally, charges ranged from $1,700 to $11,000 a year, and varied in the scope of coverage.
Chairing the press conference today (January 15) on the publication of CHOICE issue number 315 is Mr. Larry KWOK Lam-kwong, Chairman of Publicity and Community Relations Committee of the Consumer Council.