Consumer watchdog finds preserved vegetables high in sodium, some with insect fragments

The Consumer Council said on Tuesday that their test has found most preserved vegetables high in sodium content, with three samples they tested contain “relatively more insect fragments”.

The consumer watchdog tested 30 prepackaged preserved vegetable samples sold in Hong Kong and found that over 85 percent were relatively high in sodium content, which it said might increase the risk of hypertension and other diseases if consumed regularly.

The 30 samples of prepackaged preserved vegetables sourced from supermarkets and department stores included eight kimchi, four sauerkraut, five gherkin, five mustard tuber, four radish, and four pickled mustard leaf with olive samples

Test results showed that 26 samples were “high-sodium” foods, with sodium content ranging from 641mg to 3,080mg per 100g.

The highest sodium content was found in a sample of pickled mustard leaf with olive, which contained 924mg of sodium per 30g serving, equivalent to nearly half of the World Health Organization’s recommended daily sodium intake limit for adults.

The watchdog reminded citizens that excess consumption of sodium over a prolonged period might lead to an increase in blood pressure thus the risk of cardiovascular and kidney diseases, while excessive salt intake might also damage the stomach lining and
increase the risk of enhancing colonization of the carcinogenic bacterium Helicobacter
pylori, increasing the risk of stomach cancer.

Meanwhile, test results showed that two samples were “high-sugar” foods and another four samples high in fat, which prompted the council to remind consumers to maintain a balanced diet and not to consume preserved vegetables as a substitute for fresh vegetables.

Separately, the watchdog said a majority of the samples they tested were found to contain light filth, including insects, acarid, hair, metal and plastic fragments.

“Although most samples did not contain a lot of light filth, 3 samples of pickled mustard leaf with olives contained between 91 and 310 pieces of insect fragments per 100g sample,” it said, adding that relevant information has been forwarded to the Centre for Food Safety for follow-up.