The Food Safety Authority of Ireland is conducting a study of all available evening primrose oil products, following the withdrawal of two brands from shops in Galway last week.
The brands, Health Essentials Evening Primrose Oil capsules and Biennol Evening Primrose Oil capsules, were removed from shelves of two outlets, the Aldi supermarket chain and Evergreen Health Food Stores.
A routine inspection by environmental health officers identified that the brands had high levels of the chemical benzo(a)pyrene.
Benzo(a)pyrene is a specific type of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), which is carcinogenic and which has been found as a contaminant in olive oil products.
The European Commission issued new guidelines last year for PAH levels in food at two parts per billion.
Testing on the two samples of evening primrose oil bought in Galway found the Health Essentials brand had levels of 59 parts per billion, while Biennol had levels of five parts per billion.
The retailers were notified, and both removed all batches from sale.
Mr Jeff Moon, Food Safety Authority of Ireland chief specialist in environmental health, told The Irish Times yesterday there should be no alarm among users of evening primrose oil products. "The survey we are carrying out is precautionary, and the risk is very small, even among the brand which had very high levels of the PAH. The EU guidelines issued related to food, rather than supplements."
Evening primrose oil is a popular remedy for premenstrual syndrome, the menopause and skin problems. Ms Aideen Hurley, owner of Evergreen Health Food stores in Galway, said the Biennol brand sold in very small numbers. Ms Hurley, who is also spokeswoman for the Irish Association of Health Food Stores, said there were many different evening primrose oil products which were more popular.
The Food Safety Authority said it would publish the results of the survey, which it is conducting with the industry, the Public Analysts Laboratory, Galway and the Irish Health Trade Association, on levels of benzo(a)pyrene in the range of samples of evening primrose oil capsules available. Further information is available on its website, fsai.ie, under the rapid alert section.
The authority has also issued a product recall this week on four types of soy sauce made in China which may contain excessive chemical contaminants. The notice was referred to it by the Food Safety Authority in Britain, and is a follow-up to a more extensive recall last year on a wide range of soy sauce products.
Mr Moon said that of some 170 products tested then, only half a dozen had exceeded prescribed levels of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD). The chemical can be found in food as a result of high temperature acid hydrolysis - which means that when vegetable matter is mixed with hydrochloric acid and heated the vegetable proteins break down to form smaller compounds with new flavours.
The four products recalled are Pearl River Bridge Superior Light Soy Sauce (600 ml); Pearl River Bridge Mushroom Soy Sauce (1.79 litres); Gold Plum Superior Light Soy Sauce (750g) and Gold Plum Dark Soya Sauce Mushroom.
The Food Authority said it had not been notified that any of these products were on sale here.