Nearly one-third of prepackaged rice noodles have been found to contain carcinogen inorganic arsenic, the Consumer Council has found.

More than 80 percent - 26 of 30 samples - of prepackaged rice noodles that included vermicelli, flat rice noodles, mixian, Thai rice noodles, Korean noodles and fresh rice noodles - contain metallic contaminants.

Nine were found to contain inorganic arsenic, a type of carcinogen, while cadmium was detected in 24 samples and chromium in 14 samples.

"If grain rice is cultivated in soil contaminated with metallic contaminants, rice noodles using contaminated grain rice as the ingredient would naturally have a higher level of such contaminants," said Lui Wing-cheong, vice chairman of the council's research and testing committee.

But he said the levels of metallic contaminants are not high and so normal consumption does not pose high risks.

The test found discrepancies between the declared and detected nutrient contents in 17 samples, contrary to requirements in the Centre for Food Safety's guidance notes on nutrition labeling and claims.

Of these, seven exceeded the tolerance limits in the guidance notes, with the most severe being a sample of dried Thai rice noodles which were 41 times the limit.

Gluten was detected in two samples but not labeled per regulations.

Those who are gluten-intolerant might suffer from vomiting, diarrhea, wheezing, and eczema if they consume these products.

Council chief executive Gilly Wong Fung-han said manufacturers should test their products regularly in order to provide accurate nutrition information.

The differences in types of rice, their origins and the climates where they were cultivated could also affect the nutritional values of the noodle's main ingredient.

"If you [the manufacturers] know that the origin of your raw ingredients or the climate where the rice is planted changes a lot, more frequent tests should be done to the products to ensure the accuracy of the nutritional labels," Wong said.

The data has been passed to the Centre for Food Safety for follow-up action, she said.

The council also said consumers should be mindful of the sodium content in rice noodles.

The World Health Organization's recommended daily sodium intake for adults is less than 2,000 milligrams, but one of two samples with added salt reached a "high-sodium" level of 723mg per 100 grams of noodles. This means that consuming a serving of noodles of 100g would already amount to around 40 percent of the maximum recommended daily sodium intake - even without the soup.

For the remaining 28 samples that were not labeled with added salt, the sodium content per 100g varies greatly from zero to 422mg.

Three had a relatively high-sodium content between 215mg and 422mg.

The council said consumers should inspect the ingredients list and nutrition label on the packaging and those with a weaker digestive system could select rice noodles without added starch for easier digestion.

People should also be mindful of the usage amount of the accompanying sachets of seasoning or sauce and refrain from drinking the soup base to avoid excessive sodium intake, it added.

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