Some videos and posts circulated on social media claiming the eggs that we eat daily can cause cancer, addressing these concerns, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has claimed that these posts are misleading and eggs do not cause cancer.
Recently, some videos and posts circulated on social media claiming the eggs that we eat daily can cause cancer. The assertions led to concerns among families as eggs are considered as a staple diet for Indians in winters. Addressing these concerns, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has claimed that these posts are misleading and eggs do not cause cancer.
The chaos started days after a video claimed that eggs by the brand ‘Eggoz’ were found to have the presence of “possible carcinogenic” substances which cause cancer. Dozens of people began questioning the safety of eggs.
The video had claimed the presence of a compound called AOZ — produced by the breakdown of a class of antibiotics called nitrofurans. The use of these antibiotics is strictly prohibited in all stages of production of poultry, according to regulations under the Food Safety Act.
There is no proof that these compounds are carcinogenic or cause cancer. Sources from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said “recent claims linking eggs to cancer risk are misleading, scientifically unsupported and capable of creating unnecessary public alarm.”
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) — a World Health Organisation agency that categorises various compounds according to their cancer-causing ability — classifies nitrofurans in Group 3, which means there is not enough evidence to show that it can lead to cancers in human beings. The trace-level exposure to the compound through diet, therefore, is unlikely to lead to cancer or other adverse health effects, the source from FSSAI said.
Some have also questioned why the FSSAI maximum limit stands at 1μg/kg when many other countries maintain it at 0.5μg/kg. This, the FSSAI said, is the minimum level that can be reliably detected by the advanced laboratory methods available in the country. “Detection of trace residues below the EMRL (Extraneous Maximum Residue Limit) does not constitute a food safety violation nor does it imply any health risk,” an official said.
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