Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
2009-05-20 [Central News Agency]
With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, Control Yuan members Cheng Jen-hung and others today announced that 44% of dried shrimp and 77% of preserved radishes sampled in the market failed inspections. Notably, all preserved radishes sampled in Taichung County were substandard. They urged the Taichung County Government to strengthen supervision, warning that lax oversight would "severely harm" public health.
Control Yuan members Cheng Jen-hung, Chao Chang-ping, and Hung Chao-nan held a joint press conference in the morning to explain the results of spot checks conducted in northern, central, and southern Taiwan on three major food items: dried shrimp, preserved radishes, and cold noodles. The samples were sent to the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs for testing. The inspections aimed to assess the effectiveness of local health bureaus in supervising and guiding non-compliant businesses, as well as to investigate the misuse of food additives.
Cheng Jen-hung explained that dried shrimp and preserved radishes—essential ingredients for the festival’s traditional rice dumplings—were sampled 18 and 17 times, respectively. For dried shrimp, sulfur dioxide residue was tested, with results showing one sample each in Taipei City and Taipei County exceeding the standard, and three samples each in Taichung County and Kaohsiung County surpassing limits. Eight out of 18 samples (44%) were non-compliant.
As for preserved radishes, tests focused on preservatives such as benzoic acid and sorbic acid. Thirteen out of 17 samples (77%) exceeded the permissible limits, with all five samples from Taichung County failing the test.
Cheng Jen-hung noted that out of 35 combined samples of dried shrimp and preserved radishes, 60% were substandard. Given that Taichung County had four non-compliant dried shrimp samples and five failed preserved radish samples, he specifically called on the Taichung County Health Bureau to improve food safety oversight. He emphasized that poor local governance would "severely harm" public health.
Additionally, the Control Yuan tested cold noodles, a popular summer food. Cheng Jen-hung stated that 15 samples from convenience stores were checked for excessive preservatives and E. coli. While preservative levels were acceptable, six samples (40%) exceeded E. coli standards.
Overall, 56% of the 50 samples across the three categories failed inspections, indicating a need for stronger enforcement by local governments. Whether to disclose the names of non-compliant manufacturers was left to local authorities. The Control Yuan pledged to continue monitoring food safety enforcement.
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ 2……98052003+0+1+0,00,focus. html
Health Alert: 77% of Preserved Radish Samples Fail Quality Tests
With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, Control Yuan members Cheng Jen-hung and others today announced that 44% of dried shrimp and 77% of preserved radishes sampled in the market failed inspections. Notably, all preserved radishes sampled in Taichung County were substandard. They urged the Taichung County Government to strengthen supervision, warning that lax oversight would "severely harm" public health.
Control Yuan members Cheng Jen-hung, Chao Chang-ping, and Hung Chao-nan held a joint press conference in the morning to explain the results of spot checks conducted in northern, central, and southern Taiwan on three major food items: dried shrimp, preserved radishes, and cold noodles. The samples were sent to the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs for testing. The inspections aimed to assess the effectiveness of local health bureaus in supervising and guiding non-compliant businesses, as well as to investigate the misuse of food additives.
Cheng Jen-hung explained that dried shrimp and preserved radishes—essential ingredients for the festival’s traditional rice dumplings—were sampled 18 and 17 times, respectively. For dried shrimp, sulfur dioxide residue was tested, with results showing one sample each in Taipei City and Taipei County exceeding the standard, and three samples each in Taichung County and Kaohsiung County surpassing limits. Eight out of 18 samples (44%) were non-compliant.
As for preserved radishes, tests focused on preservatives such as benzoic acid and sorbic acid. Thirteen out of 17 samples (77%) exceeded the permissible limits, with all five samples from Taichung County failing the test.
Cheng Jen-hung noted that out of 35 combined samples of dried shrimp and preserved radishes, 60% were substandard. Given that Taichung County had four non-compliant dried shrimp samples and five failed preserved radish samples, he specifically called on the Taichung County Health Bureau to improve food safety oversight. He emphasized that poor local governance would "severely harm" public health.
Additionally, the Control Yuan tested cold noodles, a popular summer food. Cheng Jen-hung stated that 15 samples from convenience stores were checked for excessive preservatives and E. coli. While preservative levels were acceptable, six samples (40%) exceeded E. coli standards.
Overall, 56% of the 50 samples across the three categories failed inspections, indicating a need for stronger enforcement by local governments. Whether to disclose the names of non-compliant manufacturers was left to local authorities. The Control Yuan pledged to continue monitoring food safety enforcement.
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ 2……98052003+0+1+0,00,focus. html