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Last week the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority took samples of domestic and foreign Soya Sauces that are distributed on the Czech market. The samples have been handed over today to the University of Chemical Technology in Prague to carry out analyses of the contents of 3-MCPD (3-chlor-1,2-propandiol).

The occurrence of this substance in Soya sauce produced by a Czech manufacturer was announced last week by the Slovak Agricultural and Food Inspection Agency. The substance is considered to be a potential carcinogen.

With the effect of 5 April 2002, the EU will release a regulation of the European Committee No. 446/2001 permitting the occurrence of 3-MCPD and setting a maximum limit for Soya sauce of 0.02 mg/kg. An amendment to the Decree of the Ministry of Health of CR sets the same limit value. After the amendment enters into effect, the mentioned limit - as in the EU countries - will not apply to the products legally launched in the market prior to this date.

If the above analyses confirm the occurrence of 3-MCPD in the withdrawn samples of Soya sauce, the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority will impose a ban on their distribution and sale, and will ask the manufacturer, or importer, to present a valid approval of the Ministry of Health of CR, giving approval to the release of Soya sauces into circulation. If the approval is issued its validity term will be limited by the effect date of the above mentioned amendment to the Decree of the Ministry of Health of CR.

There is currently no powerful evidence that 3-MCPD, a substance belonging to the so-called chlorpropanols, would trigger off cancer in humans. Substances of this group might - according to the results of research carried out by the British Food Standard Agency (FSA) - represent a risk for the consumers who have been eating food containing chlorpropanols in larger quantities and for a very long period.

In the context of the latest toxicological assessments of the British Food Advisory Committee (FAC), it was recommended in 1996 to the producers of food to keep reducing contents of that substance in food and food complements to the lowest technologically possible level.