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 27, 2012
The Taipei City Health Bureau today announced the results of random tests for plasticizers in food products on the market. Out of 322 products tested, 10 were found to exceed the "plasticizer monitoring indicator values" set by the Department of Health. Among them, 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 the 10 products with excessive plasticizer levels, Chengtai Soy Sauce Food Store's mushroom sauce and toon sauce both had DINP levels exceeding 1,500 ppm. The mushroom sauce measured 1,944.2 ppm, while the toon sauce measured 1,545.6 ppm—216 times and 171 times the standard, respectively. Chen Liqi, director of the Taipei City Health Bureau's Food and Drug Administration, speculated that these sauces might have been contaminated during production, storage, or transportation due to contact with plastic gaskets in the bottle caps.
The other eight products with detected plasticizers 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)
- Yanchen Biotech’s Huiyouquan capsule food (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, making it difficult to determine the exact harmful dosage. However, higher intake levels are associated with greater health risks.
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 ordered the companies to review their raw materials, production processes, and packaging materials to identify potential sources of plasticizer contamination. They must also submit improvement plans and enhance quality control testing to ensure plasticizer levels are reduced below the monitoring standards.
The random testing was conducted between August and December of the previous year. Chengtai Soy Sauce Food Store later stated that it would make every effort to improve, and products produced after the testing should meet the standards.
Chen Liqi explained that according to the Department of Health’s standards, the plasticizer indicator values 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 and should comply with these limits. For beverages, the DIDP standard is 3 ppm.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ NATIONAL/ NATS5/ 6986548. shtml#ixzz1qK3nPOPd
Plasticizer Scandal Continues! 10 Foods Exceed Safety Limits
The Taipei City Health Bureau today announced the results of random tests for plasticizers in food products on the market. Out of 322 products tested, 10 were found to exceed the "plasticizer monitoring indicator values" set by the Department of Health. Among them, 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 the 10 products with excessive plasticizer levels, Chengtai Soy Sauce Food Store's mushroom sauce and toon sauce both had DINP levels exceeding 1,500 ppm. The mushroom sauce measured 1,944.2 ppm, while the toon sauce measured 1,545.6 ppm—216 times and 171 times the standard, respectively. Chen Liqi, director of the Taipei City Health Bureau's Food and Drug Administration, speculated that these sauces might have been contaminated during production, storage, or transportation due to contact with plastic gaskets in the bottle caps.
The other eight products with detected plasticizers 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)
- Yanchen Biotech’s Huiyouquan capsule food (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, making it difficult to determine the exact harmful dosage. However, higher intake levels are associated with greater health risks.
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 ordered the companies to review their raw materials, production processes, and packaging materials to identify potential sources of plasticizer contamination. They must also submit improvement plans and enhance quality control testing to ensure plasticizer levels are reduced below the monitoring standards.
The random testing was conducted between August and December of the previous year. Chengtai Soy Sauce Food Store later stated that it would make every effort to improve, and products produced after the testing should meet the standards.
Chen Liqi explained that according to the Department of Health’s standards, the plasticizer indicator values 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 and should comply with these limits. For beverages, the DIDP standard is 3 ppm.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ NATIONAL/ NATS5/ 6986548. shtml#ixzz1qK3nPOPd