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SNOPES Take on what the wax would do.
Origins: Thise-mail caution against a non-existent lurking threat made its Internet debut in early October 2000, 
but the belief that eating instant noodles causes a waxy internal buildup is actually older, as readers who heard similar rumors a couple of decades ago have confirmed.
The e-mailed item's claim that "the noodles are coated with wax" is false. We examined two brands of ramen (Sapporo Ichiban and Nissin's Choice) and found no evidence of wax, either in the product itself or in the ingredients list. Our lack of wax discovery in this area mirrors the 1997 results of the New York Daily News, who examined every component of a Nissin Cup Noodles with Shrimp and also found no wax. Moreover, an inquiry to Nissin Foods' consumer affairs department on this subject produced the following response:
As well, coating with wax the interior of a styrofoam container one knows will be used to heat a product would be rather pointless, because heat will melt wax, thus incorporating what was supposed to be part of the package into the foodstuff. Manufacturers of instant foods have a hard enough time convincing folks that their stuff tastes good enough to eat without introducing melted wax into the equation.
Even if wax were used with the noodles or in the styrofoam containers, and even if some of it did get into the food, it wouldn't adversely affect the average person. (It might possibly cause a problem for infants or those with damaged or impaired digestive systems, but not ordinary, healthy adults.) Though it's not generally
Beware of paper cups known, a number of candies routinely contain wax products. (Rowntree's "Smarties" and Just Born's "Peeps" immediately come to mind: carnauba wax is used in these products, as it is in candy corn.) In some confections, the wax is more upfront, as countless children who've indulged in wax lips and wax "soda" bottles will happily attest. To the best of our knowledge, none of the indulgers in these products have had to have the wax scraped out of their stomachs or developed cancer as a result (including my husband, who in the Halloweens of his childhood happily ate several pieces of wax lips a day).
This badly-constructed scare would have us believe someone's unnamed nephew in the United Kingdom died from a buildup of wax in his stomach. Wax, like just about anything else one swallows, is pushed through the digestive system and exits the body as part of a bowel movement. Nothing inherently special in wax would turn it into a permanent coating clinging forever to the stomach lining.
In October 2010 we spotted a similare-mail about the supposed danger of using wax-lined paper cups for hot liquids:
Varun, an IT professional working in Technopark, was finding himself with an upset stomach every night. While normal medical checks revealed nothing wrong in him, deeper probes revealed the reason - his stomach was collecting significant amounts of wax. And doctors identified the villain - the ordinary paper cups he used for drinking his tea at his office pantry.
Disposable paper cups have become quite popular in office pantries due to the convenience it offers. What many overlook is the fact that these paper cups are coated with a tiny layer of wax, which is essential to prevent water from seeping into the paper. When very hot liquids are poured into this cup, the wax may disintegrate and a little may come off, which will promptly be sent along with the drink into our stomachs! While our body can discard minor amounts, over the long-term, it does become a problem.
So what can be done about it? You can try to bring your own glass cups. Glass is one of the least reactive materials in the world (remember acids are stored in glass vessels, blood samples are collected in glass plates - these are for a good reason). But glass does have the problem of breaking easily, so it requires good care. Ceramic cups are probably the best bet. Of course, you can also use your ordinary stainless steel cups, but never use plastic ones - its dangers are even worse than wax.
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/noodles.asp#beRv0XbcueqFcS9J.99
SNOPES Take on what the wax would do.
Origins: This
but the belief that eating instant noodles causes a waxy internal buildup is actually older, as readers who heard similar rumors a couple of decades ago have confirmed. The e-mailed item's claim that "the noodles are coated with wax" is false. We examined two brands of ramen (Sapporo Ichiban and Nissin's Choice) and found no evidence of wax, either in the product itself or in the ingredients list. Our lack of wax discovery in this area mirrors the 1997 results of the New York Daily News, who examined every component of a Nissin Cup Noodles with Shrimp and also found no wax. Moreover, an inquiry to Nissin Foods' consumer affairs department on this subject produced the following response:
The norms of having wax coating on our instant ramen is a false statement, at least towards Nissin Foods' products. Hereby, I can reassure you we do not have wax coating towards our noodle blocks. FYI, our founder Momofuku Ando founded instant ramen when he was 48, and he lived till 96 by eating ramen on a daily basis.
Nor are the containers that instant noodles are typically sold in coated with was. Styrofoam does an excellent job all on its own in keeping a hot liquid hot, and the thicker "heat 'n' serve" containers made from styrofoam stand up very well to microwave heating. There'd be no need to use a wax lining in such a container, because any use it could possibly serve is already well handled by the styrofoam. As well, coating with wax the interior of a styrofoam container one knows will be used to heat a product would be rather pointless, because heat will melt wax, thus incorporating what was supposed to be part of the package into the foodstuff. Manufacturers of instant foods have a hard enough time convincing folks that their stuff tastes good enough to eat without introducing melted wax into the equation.
Even if wax were used with the noodles or in the styrofoam containers, and even if some of it did get into the food, it wouldn't adversely affect the average person. (It might possibly cause a problem for infants or those with damaged or impaired digestive systems, but not ordinary, healthy adults.) Though it's not generally
Beware of paper cups known, a number of candies routinely contain wax products. (Rowntree's "Smarties" and Just Born's "Peeps" immediately come to mind: carnauba wax is used in these products, as it is in candy corn.) In some confections, the wax is more upfront, as countless children who've indulged in wax lips and wax "soda" bottles will happily attest. To the best of our knowledge, none of the indulgers in these products have had to have the wax scraped out of their stomachs or developed cancer as a result (including my husband, who in the Halloweens of his childhood happily ate several pieces of wax lips a day).
This badly-constructed scare would have us believe someone's unnamed nephew in the United Kingdom died from a buildup of wax in his stomach. Wax, like just about anything else one swallows, is pushed through the digestive system and exits the body as part of a bowel movement. Nothing inherently special in wax would turn it into a permanent coating clinging forever to the stomach lining.
In October 2010 we spotted a similar
Varun, an IT professional working in Technopark, was finding himself with an upset stomach every night. While normal medical checks revealed nothing wrong in him, deeper probes revealed the reason - his stomach was collecting significant amounts of wax. And doctors identified the villain - the ordinary paper cups he used for drinking his tea at his office pantry.
Disposable paper cups have become quite popular in office pantries due to the convenience it offers. What many overlook is the fact that these paper cups are coated with a tiny layer of wax, which is essential to prevent water from seeping into the paper. When very hot liquids are poured into this cup, the wax may disintegrate and a little may come off, which will promptly be sent along with the drink into our stomachs! While our body can discard minor amounts, over the long-term, it does become a problem.
So what can be done about it? You can try to bring your own glass cups. Glass is one of the least reactive materials in the world (remember acids are stored in glass vessels, blood samples are collected in glass plates - these are for a good reason). But glass does have the problem of breaking easily, so it requires good care. Ceramic cups are probably the best bet. Of course, you can also use your ordinary stainless steel cups, but never use plastic ones - its dangers are even worse than wax.
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/noodles.asp#beRv0XbcueqFcS9J.99
