Instant noodles have been a staple food for many people, particularly in Asia. It is a quick and convenient meal that can be prepared in just a few minutes. 

However, the recent findings by Taipei's Department of Health have caused concern among consumers, particularly those who regularly consume Malaysia's Ah Lai White Curry Noodles and Indonesia's Indomie Special Chicken Flavour Noodles.

The Department of Health in Taipei's 2023 inspection has found that these two popular Asian instant noodle brands contain a cancer-inducing substance called ethylene oxide. This substance is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, which means that it is a substance that is known to cause cancer in humans such as ​​lymphoma and leukaemia.

It is reported that the results showed the chemical was detected in both the noodles and flavour packet of the Malaysian product but in only the flavour packet of the Indonesian product.

According to Chen Yi-ting, who leads the Food and Drug Division of the Taipei Department of Health, the inspection of instant noodles in the city was conducted by randomly selecting 30 products from various sources such as supermarkets, convenience stores, traditional wet markets, Southeast Asian food shops, hypermarkets, and wholesale importers. 

In response to these findings, the Taipei Department of Health's Food and Drug Division has taken prompt action to investigate the matter and safeguard consumers from the harmful effects of these instant noodles. The retailer who supplied the samples has been instructed to remove the two products from their shelves, and importers of the products will be fined between NT$60,000 (US$1957.87) and NT$200 million.