Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
【United Evening News】Reporter Lin Jinxiu / Taipei Report March 26, 2012
The Taipei City Health Bureau today announced the results of random inspections for plasticizer content in commercially available food products. Out of 322 tested products, 10 were found to exceed the "plasticizer monitoring indicator values" set by the Department of Health. Notably, the mushroom sauce produced by Chengtai Soy Sauce Food Store in Xiluo Township, Yunlin County, contained DINP levels 216 times higher than the standard, an alarmingly high amount.
Among these 10 non-compliant products, both the mushroom sauce and toon sauce from Chengtai Soy Sauce Food Store had DINP levels exceeding 1500 ppm. Specifically, the mushroom sauce measured 1944.2 ppm (216 times the standard) and the toon sauce 1545.6 ppm (171 times the standard). Chen Liqi, Director of the Taipei City Health Bureau’s Food and Drug Administration, speculated that these excessively high plasticizer levels might have resulted from contact with plastic gaskets in bottle caps during production, storage, or transportation.
The other eight products with detected plasticizer contamination include:
- Shihong Food Company’s Premium Pineapple Sauce (DEHP 16.9 ppm)
- Chuanjia Food Company’s Peach Juice (DEHP 48 ppm, DINP 41.5 ppm)
- Guwang Food Company’s Vegetarian Satay Fried Sauce (DINP 342.9 ppm)
- Uni-President’s Santa Cruz 100% Organic Lemon Juice (DIDP 7.2 ppm)
- Liangchun International’s Baiweikang Probiotic Supplement (DEHP 159.7 ppm, DINP 14.8 ppm)
- Huashi Life Technology’s Guangming Capsules (DEHP 12.7 ppm)
- Yan Chen Biotech’s Huiyouquan Capsules (DEHP 24.1 ppm, DIDP 39.5 ppm)
- Xuyin Company’s Wangzhi Bonito Fish Oil Capsules (DEHP 31.4 ppm)
Chen Liqi noted that there are limited animal studies on the carcinogenicity of DINP, and human trial data remains insufficient to determine the exact health risks posed by specific intake levels. However, higher consumption undoubtedly increases potential harm.
Jiang Yumei, Chief Secretary of the Taipei City Health Bureau, stated that six non-compliant products from other counties have been referred to their respective local health authorities for follow-up. For the four products sourced from Taipei-registered manufacturers, the bureau has demanded immediate reviews of raw materials, production processes, and packaging materials to identify contamination sources. Companies must also submit improvement plans and enhance quality control to ensure plasticizer levels fall below monitoring thresholds.
The inspections were conducted between August and December of last year. Chengtai Soy Sauce Food Store later pledged full compliance, asserting that products manufactured after the inspection should meet standards.
Chen Liqi clarified that, according to Department of Health standards, the plasticizer limits for oil-based products are DEHP 3 ppm, DINP 9 ppm, and DIDP 9 ppm. Mushroom sauce, toon sauce, and pineapple sauce fall under this category. For beverages, the DIDP limit is 3 ppm.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ NATIONAL/ NATS5/ 6986548. shtml#ixzz1qConhKUG
Plasticizer Scandal Continues! Uni-President Organic Products Exceed Limits
The Taipei City Health Bureau today announced the results of random inspections for plasticizer content in commercially available food products. Out of 322 tested products, 10 were found to exceed the "plasticizer monitoring indicator values" set by the Department of Health. Notably, the mushroom sauce produced by Chengtai Soy Sauce Food Store in Xiluo Township, Yunlin County, contained DINP levels 216 times higher than the standard, an alarmingly high amount.
Among these 10 non-compliant products, both the mushroom sauce and toon sauce from Chengtai Soy Sauce Food Store had DINP levels exceeding 1500 ppm. Specifically, the mushroom sauce measured 1944.2 ppm (216 times the standard) and the toon sauce 1545.6 ppm (171 times the standard). Chen Liqi, Director of the Taipei City Health Bureau’s Food and Drug Administration, speculated that these excessively high plasticizer levels might have resulted from contact with plastic gaskets in bottle caps during production, storage, or transportation.
The other eight products with detected plasticizer contamination include:
- Shihong Food Company’s Premium Pineapple Sauce (DEHP 16.9 ppm)
- Chuanjia Food Company’s Peach Juice (DEHP 48 ppm, DINP 41.5 ppm)
- Guwang Food Company’s Vegetarian Satay Fried Sauce (DINP 342.9 ppm)
- Uni-President’s Santa Cruz 100% Organic Lemon Juice (DIDP 7.2 ppm)
- Liangchun International’s Baiweikang Probiotic Supplement (DEHP 159.7 ppm, DINP 14.8 ppm)
- Huashi Life Technology’s Guangming Capsules (DEHP 12.7 ppm)
- Yan Chen Biotech’s Huiyouquan Capsules (DEHP 24.1 ppm, DIDP 39.5 ppm)
- Xuyin Company’s Wangzhi Bonito Fish Oil Capsules (DEHP 31.4 ppm)
Chen Liqi noted that there are limited animal studies on the carcinogenicity of DINP, and human trial data remains insufficient to determine the exact health risks posed by specific intake levels. However, higher consumption undoubtedly increases potential harm.
Jiang Yumei, Chief Secretary of the Taipei City Health Bureau, stated that six non-compliant products from other counties have been referred to their respective local health authorities for follow-up. For the four products sourced from Taipei-registered manufacturers, the bureau has demanded immediate reviews of raw materials, production processes, and packaging materials to identify contamination sources. Companies must also submit improvement plans and enhance quality control to ensure plasticizer levels fall below monitoring thresholds.
The inspections were conducted between August and December of last year. Chengtai Soy Sauce Food Store later pledged full compliance, asserting that products manufactured after the inspection should meet standards.
Chen Liqi clarified that, according to Department of Health standards, the plasticizer limits for oil-based products are DEHP 3 ppm, DINP 9 ppm, and DIDP 9 ppm. Mushroom sauce, toon sauce, and pineapple sauce fall under this category. For beverages, the DIDP limit is 3 ppm.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ NATIONAL/ NATS5/ 6986548. shtml#ixzz1qConhKUG