Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
Tsai Yi-Jing | TVBS – January 6, 2014
Be extra cautious when purchasing New Year dishes and goods. The Taipei City Health Bureau has announced the first round of test results for holiday foods, revealing that pickled vegetables—including commonly consumed dried radish, pickled mustard greens, and dried kumquats—contain excessive levels of preservatives, sweeteners, and bleaching agents. Some pickled mustard greens even had preservatives exceeding the limit by 31 times, which could pose health risks if consumed in large quantities.
In traditional markets, shoppers are busy stocking up for the New Year, with dried radish and pickled vegetables being staples. However, beware of ingesting excessive preservatives. The Taipei City Health Bureau tested 100 samples of pickled vegetables and preserved fruits, finding that preservatives, saccharin, and bleaching agents exceeded safety standards. Common items like dried radish, pickled radish, and mustard greens contained excessive benzoic acid (a preservative). Sweetened plums and spicy radish snacks had too much saccharin, while pickled mustard greens and their cores also contained excessive bleaching agents. The failure rate reached 14%, and overconsumption may harm health.
Chiu Hsiu-Yi, Director of the Food and Drug Division, advised: "We recommend that when consuming dried radish or pickled vegetables, the public can soak them in water before eating to reduce risks."
The issue isn’t limited to traditional markets. Pickled mustard greens sold at Wellcome supermarkets were also found to contain excessive bleaching agents. A brand of raisin-preserved cherries sold at Carrefour exceeded limits for both preservatives and sweeteners.
Vendors may claim, "Very fresh!" but other seafood products, such as farmed threadfin fish, tested positive for banned malachite green residue. The well-known restaurant Shanghe Wu had its frozen red crabs pulled from shelves after excessive sulfur dioxide was detected.
Chen Yin-Zhe, Deputy Manager of Shanghe Wu, stated: "Our current inspection report shows no sulfur dioxide, but we will request further clarification from our suppliers."
All non-compliant pickled vegetables, preserved fruits, and seafood products have been ordered off shelves to prevent further consumer purchases.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E6……5% 90% E5% 8A% 91- 044600223. html
Testing New Year Dishes: 14% Contain Bleach, Saccharin, Preservatives
Be extra cautious when purchasing New Year dishes and goods. The Taipei City Health Bureau has announced the first round of test results for holiday foods, revealing that pickled vegetables—including commonly consumed dried radish, pickled mustard greens, and dried kumquats—contain excessive levels of preservatives, sweeteners, and bleaching agents. Some pickled mustard greens even had preservatives exceeding the limit by 31 times, which could pose health risks if consumed in large quantities.
In traditional markets, shoppers are busy stocking up for the New Year, with dried radish and pickled vegetables being staples. However, beware of ingesting excessive preservatives. The Taipei City Health Bureau tested 100 samples of pickled vegetables and preserved fruits, finding that preservatives, saccharin, and bleaching agents exceeded safety standards. Common items like dried radish, pickled radish, and mustard greens contained excessive benzoic acid (a preservative). Sweetened plums and spicy radish snacks had too much saccharin, while pickled mustard greens and their cores also contained excessive bleaching agents. The failure rate reached 14%, and overconsumption may harm health.
Chiu Hsiu-Yi, Director of the Food and Drug Division, advised: "We recommend that when consuming dried radish or pickled vegetables, the public can soak them in water before eating to reduce risks."
The issue isn’t limited to traditional markets. Pickled mustard greens sold at Wellcome supermarkets were also found to contain excessive bleaching agents. A brand of raisin-preserved cherries sold at Carrefour exceeded limits for both preservatives and sweeteners.
Vendors may claim, "Very fresh!" but other seafood products, such as farmed threadfin fish, tested positive for banned malachite green residue. The well-known restaurant Shanghe Wu had its frozen red crabs pulled from shelves after excessive sulfur dioxide was detected.
Chen Yin-Zhe, Deputy Manager of Shanghe Wu, stated: "Our current inspection report shows no sulfur dioxide, but we will request further clarification from our suppliers."
All non-compliant pickled vegetables, preserved fruits, and seafood products have been ordered off shelves to prevent further consumer purchases.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E6……5% 90% E5% 8A% 91- 044600223. html