Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
China Times Electronic News
By Pan Xinghui, Taipei
December 7, 2013
The Consumers' Foundation yesterday announced that up to 75% of snacks and beverages on the market are mislabeled, including products from well-known brands. Examples include Pinky Peach Mint Candy containing no peach, Sheng Xiang Zhen Lychee Coconut Jelly containing no lychee, Zilu Strawberry Chocolate containing no strawberry, Assam Apple Milk Tea containing no apple, and Laurel Shrimp Balls containing no shrimp.
In November of this year, the foundation randomly purchased 16 products from supermarkets, priced between NT$10 and NT$109. The items included candies, jellies, biscuits, instant noodles, beverages, and frozen foods. It was found that 12 out of the 16 products, or about 75%, had misleading labels. "What you see is not necessarily what you eat."
Among the snacks, 6 out of 8 sampled products were mislabeled. Pinky Peach Mint Candy had no peach, Sheng Xiang Zhen Lychee Coconut Jelly had no lychee, Zilu Strawberry Chocolate had no strawberry, Jimmy Ji Taiwan Fishing Port Red Crab Sticks had no crab, Taiwan Taste Egg Pudding had no egg, and (Ka)(Ka) Strawberry Chocolate Bars contained neither strawberry nor chocolate.
For beverages, all 4 sampled products were mislabeled. Assam Apple Milk Tea had no apple, Seven Stars White Grape Sparkling Champagne Drink had no grape, National Strawberry Flavored Long-Life Milk had no strawberry, and Carrefour Peach Fruit Tea had no peach.
The foundation noted that these beverages did not indicate juice content, nor did they specify whether they were "flavored" or "tasting" drinks. Their ingredients listed no fruit additives or juice—only a mix of artificial flavors and coloring.
As for instant noodles, the "Tai Zu" brand Oyster Noodles contained no oysters. The seasoning packet only included seafood additives such as bonito and shrimp powder, with no trace of oysters.
Additionally, winter is peak hot pot season, but the foundation's sampling also revealed that Laurel Shrimp Balls listed ingredients such as fish paste, starch, squid cubes, egg white liquid, sugar, salt, mirin, and natural red yeast rice coloring—but no shrimp. Even the source of the "shrimp flavor" was unclear, making it a severe case of mislabeling.
The foundation stated that false labeling violates the "Food Safety Act" and can result in fines ranging from NT$40,000 to NT$200,000. It urged businesses not to deceive consumers and to clearly label products as "flavored" or "tasting" to avoid misleading the public. The government should also address these ambiguously defined products to ensure consumer safety and peace of mind.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E6……B% 9E% E8% 9B% 8B- 213000009. html
Consumer Group Test: Shrimp Balls without Shrimp, Egg Pudding without Eggs
By Pan Xinghui, Taipei
December 7, 2013
The Consumers' Foundation yesterday announced that up to 75% of snacks and beverages on the market are mislabeled, including products from well-known brands. Examples include Pinky Peach Mint Candy containing no peach, Sheng Xiang Zhen Lychee Coconut Jelly containing no lychee, Zilu Strawberry Chocolate containing no strawberry, Assam Apple Milk Tea containing no apple, and Laurel Shrimp Balls containing no shrimp.
In November of this year, the foundation randomly purchased 16 products from supermarkets, priced between NT$10 and NT$109. The items included candies, jellies, biscuits, instant noodles, beverages, and frozen foods. It was found that 12 out of the 16 products, or about 75%, had misleading labels. "What you see is not necessarily what you eat."
Among the snacks, 6 out of 8 sampled products were mislabeled. Pinky Peach Mint Candy had no peach, Sheng Xiang Zhen Lychee Coconut Jelly had no lychee, Zilu Strawberry Chocolate had no strawberry, Jimmy Ji Taiwan Fishing Port Red Crab Sticks had no crab, Taiwan Taste Egg Pudding had no egg, and (Ka)(Ka) Strawberry Chocolate Bars contained neither strawberry nor chocolate.
For beverages, all 4 sampled products were mislabeled. Assam Apple Milk Tea had no apple, Seven Stars White Grape Sparkling Champagne Drink had no grape, National Strawberry Flavored Long-Life Milk had no strawberry, and Carrefour Peach Fruit Tea had no peach.
The foundation noted that these beverages did not indicate juice content, nor did they specify whether they were "flavored" or "tasting" drinks. Their ingredients listed no fruit additives or juice—only a mix of artificial flavors and coloring.
As for instant noodles, the "Tai Zu" brand Oyster Noodles contained no oysters. The seasoning packet only included seafood additives such as bonito and shrimp powder, with no trace of oysters.
Additionally, winter is peak hot pot season, but the foundation's sampling also revealed that Laurel Shrimp Balls listed ingredients such as fish paste, starch, squid cubes, egg white liquid, sugar, salt, mirin, and natural red yeast rice coloring—but no shrimp. Even the source of the "shrimp flavor" was unclear, making it a severe case of mislabeling.
The foundation stated that false labeling violates the "Food Safety Act" and can result in fines ranging from NT$40,000 to NT$200,000. It urged businesses not to deceive consumers and to clearly label products as "flavored" or "tasting" to avoid misleading the public. The government should also address these ambiguously defined products to ensure consumer safety and peace of mind.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E6……B% 9E% E8% 9B% 8B- 213000009. html