Survey raises juice fears

High levels of sodium in some brands of tomato juice mean drinking too much of it could damage your health, local Chinese-language newspapers reported yesterday.

According to a survey released by the Consumers' Foundation, 46 percent of tomato juice products on the market did not fully label their contents, failing, for example, to indicate the the proportion of lycopene, a red crystalline substance and the main pigment of the fruit that is believed to help guard against cancer and aid weight loss.

The addition of water to the juice can drastically reduce the proportion of lycopene in the drink.

The survey also found that 87.5 percent of the products do not have manufacturing sites printed on the bottles, raising doubts about the quality of hygiene management and ingredients, according to the report.

The foundation tested 24 tomato juice products made by 16 companies between November and December last year.

The tomato juice produced by Taiwan Pineapple Corp (台鳳) contained the highest concentration of sodium, at 193.75mg per 100ml.

The salt-free juice of Uni-President Enterprises Corp (統一企業) contained only 6mg per 100ml, the lowest concentration of all the samples.

Mu Huai-ling (穆懷玲), a dietician at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital and a member of the foundation's food committee, said that because the Department of Health's recommended daily sodium intake is between 2,400mg and 2,500mg, "people must be careful not to consume an excess of salt if they drink two or three bottles of tomato juice a day."

Those with high blood pressure or kidney problems should pay special attention to their intake of sodium, Mu said.

Tomato juice may also be more fattening than people realize, according to the foundation, with the juice manufactured by Asenka (愛鮮家) topping the list, with 42.2 calories per 100ml.

Tomatoes have become popular over the past two years with health-conscious people because of the lycopene in the fruit, which studies suggest is beneficial to the body.

But Mu said tomatoes are not the only source of lycopene. Other red-pulp fruits, such as red grapefruit, papayas, watermelons and guavas, also contain lycopene.

The newspaper report said tomato juice sales last year stood at NT$1 billion, with sales growth tripling in the second half of the year.

Tomato juice companies are optimistic about the public's taste for tomato juice this year, estimating that the market will grow to NT$4 billion a year, the report said.

The juice is expected to surpass even coffee to become the No. 2 drink, second only to tea.