Are Vietnamese sweet potatoes safe?

 

The question of whether Vietnamese Sweet potatoes are safe was raised when in December 2016, a Facebook user in Singapore posted a photo of Vietnamese sweet potatoes turning green after being told they were boiled, stored in the refrigerator, and then reheated the next day in the microwave.

This person also quoted a doctor as saying that the sweet potato was grown in an area contaminated with "Agent Orange", and recommended not buy agricultural products from Vietnam, causing confusion in public opinion.

So is this true and are Vietnamese sweet potatoes poisoned?

Immediately after receiving information about Vietnamese sweet potatoes, the Vietnam Embassy in Singapore determined that this was a serious problem, so quickly contacted and coordinated with local authorities to clarify and correct. This false information. Trade Counselor The Vietnamese Embassy worked with the Singapore Food and Agricultural Product Hygiene and Safety Agency (AVA) to request this agency to conduct testing and publish the results.

After testing, AVA confirmed that Vietnamese sweet potatoes were of good quality and had absolutely no health problems. Accordingly, sweet potatoes imported from Vietnam contain flavonoids (an antioxidant) and water-soluble ingredients that can cause color changes.

AVA states that "sweet potato green can be a natural reaction after the water-soluble ingredients of sweet potatoes are exposed to air". The AVA stressed that properly stored cooked sweet potatoes would not pose a food safety problem.