Consumer Council Warns Of Perils Of Too Many Biscuits

The Consumer Council on Monday warned people not to eat too many biscuits, saying not only are a lot of products high in fat, sugar or sodium but they also contain substances that can cause cancer.

The council said tests on 60 different types of biscuits, including digestives, crackers and wafers, found all of them had genotoxic carcinogens, such as glycidol and acrylamide, which are produced during the manufacturing process.

Fifty-six of the samples were found to contain 3-MCPD, a substance that can affect the kidneys and male reproduction system.

Gilly Wong, the chief executive of the council, urged manufacturers to review their formulas in an effort to reduce the presence of contaminants.

"If you can select healthier choices in making the biscuits, possibly, according to the test findings, you can minimise the contaminants as far as possible," she said.

The council called on people not to treat snacks as a regular meal and to instead consider eating healthier food like fruit.