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NOWnews October 11, 2012 Reporter Chen Kunkai / Taipei Report
Buying fresh produce at supermarkets may not always be safe! The Taipei City Health Bureau today (11th) announced the latest test results for pesticide residues in fresh fruits and vegetables. Among the three non-compliant products, two came from well-known chain supermarkets. These include a batch of A-choy (Chinese lettuce) sold at Wellcome Supermarket’s Zhonghua Branch 2 and a batch of muskmelon sold at Matsusei Supermarket’s Nanchang Branch, both of which were found to contain pesticides either banned for use on these products or exceeding legal limits. Authorities have ordered the retailers to remove the items from shelves and halt sales.
In August, the Taipei City Health Bureau conducted inspections at various fruit and vegetable retailers, supermarkets, wholesale markets, and organic produce stores, sampling a total of 76 products. Test results showed three items failed to meet standards, representing a non-compliance rate of 3.95%.
The list of non-compliant products includes:
- A batch of A-choy from Wellcome Supermarket (Wei Kang Department Store Co., Ltd.) Zhonghua Branch 2 in Wanhua, which tested positive for the pesticide "Propiconazole" at 0.25ppm—eight times the legal limit of 0.03ppm. Additionally, the product contained "Difenoconazole" (0.52ppm), a pesticide prohibited for use on A-choy. The source was traced to the Xiluo Farmers' Association Vegetable Production and Marketing Group.
- A batch of muskmelon from Matsusei Supermarket (Song Qing Commercial Co., Ltd.) Nanchang Branch on Heping West Road, which tested positive for the pesticide "Pencycuron" at 0.03ppm—three times the legal limit of 0.01ppm.
- A batch of Irwin mangoes from a fruit stall on Bade Road in Taipei’s Songshan District, which tested positive for the banned pesticide "Chlorpyrifos" (0.15ppm). Investigations into the sources of the latter two products are ongoing.
Chen Liqi, Director of the Taipei City Health Bureau’s Food and Drug Administration, stated that for non-compliant products, retailers have been ordered to remove them from shelves and halt sales. For suppliers based in Taipei, penalties ranging from NT$60,000 to NT$6 million will be imposed for violations of the Food Sanitation Management Act. For suppliers outside Taipei, the cases have been referred to their respective local health authorities for investigation.
Chen Liqi urged farmers to comply with relevant regulations when applying pesticides to crops. To minimize pesticide residue intake, consumers should remove outer leaves, rinse the roots to remove soil, cut off the roots, soak the vegetables in water for 10 to 20 minutes, and then rinse them under running water two to three times.
Beyond thorough washing, the Taipei City Health Bureau also recommends cooking, choosing seasonal produce, and other methods to reduce pesticide residues. When stir-frying vegetables, leaving the pot lid open can help pesticides evaporate with the steam.Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E8……8% 8A% E6% A6% 9C- 073309094. html;_ylt=AqNtz0mOtmIYmOdd8jCb6n7RBdF_;_ylu=X3oDMTN1cWQ1OWhlBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBMaWZlc3R5bGVTRgRwa2cDM2VlNTAxZmQtMzI1Yy0zYzk3LWE0M2YtZjU2YWMyYmY2OTdiBHBvcwM1BHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyAzkyMTE0ZWUwLTEzNzctMTFlMi1iNWZmLTdhMDZhZjJmMWEwYg--;_ylg=X3oDMTFwMzVoY29zBGludGwDdHcEbGFuZwN6aC1oYW50LXR3BHBzdGFpZAMEcHN0Y2F0A.eUn.a0uwRwdANzZWN0aW9ucw--;_ylv=3
Supermarket Safety Alert! Pesticide Residues Found in Wellcome Lettuce and Matsusei Melon
Buying fresh produce at supermarkets may not always be safe! The Taipei City Health Bureau today (11th) announced the latest test results for pesticide residues in fresh fruits and vegetables. Among the three non-compliant products, two came from well-known chain supermarkets. These include a batch of A-choy (Chinese lettuce) sold at Wellcome Supermarket’s Zhonghua Branch 2 and a batch of muskmelon sold at Matsusei Supermarket’s Nanchang Branch, both of which were found to contain pesticides either banned for use on these products or exceeding legal limits. Authorities have ordered the retailers to remove the items from shelves and halt sales.
In August, the Taipei City Health Bureau conducted inspections at various fruit and vegetable retailers, supermarkets, wholesale markets, and organic produce stores, sampling a total of 76 products. Test results showed three items failed to meet standards, representing a non-compliance rate of 3.95%.
The list of non-compliant products includes:
- A batch of A-choy from Wellcome Supermarket (Wei Kang Department Store Co., Ltd.) Zhonghua Branch 2 in Wanhua, which tested positive for the pesticide "Propiconazole" at 0.25ppm—eight times the legal limit of 0.03ppm. Additionally, the product contained "Difenoconazole" (0.52ppm), a pesticide prohibited for use on A-choy. The source was traced to the Xiluo Farmers' Association Vegetable Production and Marketing Group.
- A batch of muskmelon from Matsusei Supermarket (Song Qing Commercial Co., Ltd.) Nanchang Branch on Heping West Road, which tested positive for the pesticide "Pencycuron" at 0.03ppm—three times the legal limit of 0.01ppm.
- A batch of Irwin mangoes from a fruit stall on Bade Road in Taipei’s Songshan District, which tested positive for the banned pesticide "Chlorpyrifos" (0.15ppm). Investigations into the sources of the latter two products are ongoing.
Chen Liqi, Director of the Taipei City Health Bureau’s Food and Drug Administration, stated that for non-compliant products, retailers have been ordered to remove them from shelves and halt sales. For suppliers based in Taipei, penalties ranging from NT$60,000 to NT$6 million will be imposed for violations of the Food Sanitation Management Act. For suppliers outside Taipei, the cases have been referred to their respective local health authorities for investigation.
Chen Liqi urged farmers to comply with relevant regulations when applying pesticides to crops. To minimize pesticide residue intake, consumers should remove outer leaves, rinse the roots to remove soil, cut off the roots, soak the vegetables in water for 10 to 20 minutes, and then rinse them under running water two to three times.
Beyond thorough washing, the Taipei City Health Bureau also recommends cooking, choosing seasonal produce, and other methods to reduce pesticide residues. When stir-frying vegetables, leaving the pot lid open can help pesticides evaporate with the steam.Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E8……8% 8A% E6% A6% 9C- 073309094. html;_ylt=AqNtz0mOtmIYmOdd8jCb6n7RBdF_;_ylu=X3oDMTN1cWQ1OWhlBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBMaWZlc3R5bGVTRgRwa2cDM2VlNTAxZmQtMzI1Yy0zYzk3LWE0M2YtZjU2YWMyYmY2OTdiBHBvcwM1BHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyAzkyMTE0ZWUwLTEzNzctMTFlMi1iNWZmLTdhMDZhZjJmMWEwYg--;_ylg=X3oDMTFwMzVoY29zBGludGwDdHcEbGFuZwN6aC1oYW50LXR3BHBzdGFpZAMEcHN0Y2F0A.eUn.a0uwRwdANzZWN0aW9ucw--;_ylv=3