HONG KONG （Reuters） - The Hong Kong government has asked global fast-food chain McDonalds to withdraw a seasoning for its French fries because it could contain a banned artificial sweetener， a spokeswoman said on Sunday. The government said it had discovered that the label for the chain's honey barbecue seasoning mix listed the artificial sweetener stevioside， which is banned in Hong Kong， as an ingredient.
香港政府已要求全球快餐連鎖店麥當(dāng)勞取消炸薯?xiàng)l中的一種調(diào)料，因?yàn)檫@種調(diào)料中可能含有禁用的人造甜味劑，一發(fā)言人于上周日說道。政府說現(xiàn)已發(fā)現(xiàn)該連鎖店的蜂蜜燒烤混合調(diào)料的標(biāo)簽中列出了人造甜味劑甜葉菊甙，這一成分在香港是被禁用的。
The US National Cancer Institute says on its website that the main chemical in stevioside can be converted in a laboratory into a substance that alters genes. Further study is needed to determine whether the sweetener can cause cancer， it says. "We are testing to see if it is a permitted sweetener or not. Legal action would be considered， subject to the results of the test，" a spokeswoman for the Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said.
美國全國癌癥研究會(huì)在其網(wǎng)站上指出，甜葉菊甙的主要化學(xué)成分在實(shí)驗(yàn)室可以被轉(zhuǎn)化為能改變基因的物質(zhì)，而要確定這種甜味劑能否導(dǎo)致癌癥還需進(jìn)一步研究。"我們正在檢測(cè)，以便搞清它是不是獲得批準(zhǔn)的甜味劑。是否考慮司法程序則取決于檢測(cè)結(jié)果。"香港食品與環(huán)境衛(wèi)生署發(fā)言人說道。
McDonalds was not immediately available for comment but newspapers said that the company had since stopped using the powder.
對(duì)此麥當(dāng)勞并未馬上給出說法，但報(bào)章說該公司已停止使用這種調(diào)料粉。
香港政府已要求全球快餐連鎖店麥當(dāng)勞取消炸薯?xiàng)l中的一種調(diào)料，因?yàn)檫@種調(diào)料中可能含有禁用的人造甜味劑，一發(fā)言人于上周日說道。政府說現(xiàn)已發(fā)現(xiàn)該連鎖店的蜂蜜燒烤混合調(diào)料的標(biāo)簽中列出了人造甜味劑甜葉菊甙，這一成分在香港是被禁用的。
The US National Cancer Institute says on its website that the main chemical in stevioside can be converted in a laboratory into a substance that alters genes. Further study is needed to determine whether the sweetener can cause cancer， it says. "We are testing to see if it is a permitted sweetener or not. Legal action would be considered， subject to the results of the test，" a spokeswoman for the Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said.
美國全國癌癥研究會(huì)在其網(wǎng)站上指出，甜葉菊甙的主要化學(xué)成分在實(shí)驗(yàn)室可以被轉(zhuǎn)化為能改變基因的物質(zhì)，而要確定這種甜味劑能否導(dǎo)致癌癥還需進(jìn)一步研究。"我們正在檢測(cè)，以便搞清它是不是獲得批準(zhǔn)的甜味劑。是否考慮司法程序則取決于檢測(cè)結(jié)果。"香港食品與環(huán)境衛(wèi)生署發(fā)言人說道。
McDonalds was not immediately available for comment but newspapers said that the company had since stopped using the powder.
對(duì)此麥當(dāng)勞并未馬上給出說法，但報(bào)章說該公司已停止使用這種調(diào)料粉。