Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
Chiu Li-ying, Wang Hsuan-chi/Comprehensive Report China Times Electronic News – June 12, 2013
Eating zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival inevitably involves dipping sauces. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Department of Health inspected sauces sold in night markets, traditional markets, and supermarkets. Results showed that six products, including sweet chili sauce and soy sauce paste, were found to contain excessive levels of the preservative "benzoic acid." The problematic products will be removed from shelves and recalled. The Chiayi County Investigation Station also discovered that preserved radish produced by an underground factory in Chiayi City contained excessive benzoic acid.
The FDA tested 62 sauce samples, with six failing the benzoic acid preservative standards. The legal limit for benzoic acid is 1 gram per kilogram, but the detected levels in these samples ranged from 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram.
The non-compliant sauces included "Delicious Oil Paste" by Lianfeng Food Factory, "Haowei Soy Sauce Paste" by Xinshan Enterprise, and "Yipin Soy Sauce Paste" by Yipin Sauce Garden Co., Ltd. Additionally, three sweet chili sauces under Weiyuan Co., Ltd. were found to be non-compliant. Penalties ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 will be imposed under the "Food Sanitation Management Act."
Following a tip-off, the Chiayi County Investigation Station discovered in February that an underground preserved radish factory in Huneli, Chiayi City, was suspected of adding excessive benzoic acid preservatives. The factory distributed its products to retail outlets across Taiwan, with monthly shipments exceeding 1,000 kilograms. Samples sent to the FDA for testing revealed benzoic acid levels as high as 2.78 grams per kilogram, far exceeding the legal limit of 1 gram per kilogram.
On the 11th, the investigation team, along with Chiayi City Health Bureau officials, conducted a raid. Approximately 720 boxes of various preserved radish products, totaling over 86,000 kilograms, were seized. These included "crushed radish," "large radish," and "sliced radish," all suspected of containing excessive benzoic acid.
The 70-year-old owner, Lin Shih-hsiung, has been producing preserved radish for 30 to 40 years and has been penalized multiple times for excessive preservative use. He admitted to "eyeballing the dosage" and claimed, "washing it a few more times won’t kill anyone." His decades-long disregard for consumer health was shocking. The investigation station stated that once the test results are finalized, the case will be referred for penalties under the "Food Sanitation Management Act."
Meanwhile, the FDA also released the latest test results for veterinary drug residues in commercially available livestock and poultry products. Out of 99 samples, one—"Nutrient-Enhanced Goat Milk" from Sacred Heart Kindergarten in Kaohsiung—was found to contain the antibiotic "Lincomycin" at 0.012 ppm, violating the zero-tolerance policy.
Further investigation traced the problematic goat milk to Chen Ying Co., Ltd., a dairy manufacturer in Tainan City. As the company failed to provide further sourcing details, it was fined NT$60,000 under Article 11 of the "Food Sanitation Management Act."Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E7……6% 85% E6% A8% 99- 213000608. html;_ylt=AhcaG.Rd9lt2g9ka6GbGXsnMBdF_;_ylu=X3oDMTMyamxhNHFxBG1pdANJbmZpbml0ZSBCcm93c2UgVFcEcGtnA2I2YTBjNzlmLTQzZWQtMzk4OC05NGQxLTE2YTFmMmM1MTNjOQRwb3MDbDIEc2VjA21lZGlhaW5maW5pdGVicm93c2VsaXN0;_ylg=X3oDMTM4M2V2aGRoBGludGwDdHcEbGFuZwN6aC1oYW50LXR3BHBzdGFpZAM3OTA2NWQ1OC1hNjYxLTNiNTItYjhkMi0zNDQ2NGI3Y2IzZGEEcHN0Y2F0A.WcsOaWuXzljZflj7DngaMEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdl;_ylv=3
Excessive Preservatives Found in 6 Dipping Sauces for Zongzi
Eating zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival inevitably involves dipping sauces. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Department of Health inspected sauces sold in night markets, traditional markets, and supermarkets. Results showed that six products, including sweet chili sauce and soy sauce paste, were found to contain excessive levels of the preservative "benzoic acid." The problematic products will be removed from shelves and recalled. The Chiayi County Investigation Station also discovered that preserved radish produced by an underground factory in Chiayi City contained excessive benzoic acid.
The FDA tested 62 sauce samples, with six failing the benzoic acid preservative standards. The legal limit for benzoic acid is 1 gram per kilogram, but the detected levels in these samples ranged from 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram.
The non-compliant sauces included "Delicious Oil Paste" by Lianfeng Food Factory, "Haowei Soy Sauce Paste" by Xinshan Enterprise, and "Yipin Soy Sauce Paste" by Yipin Sauce Garden Co., Ltd. Additionally, three sweet chili sauces under Weiyuan Co., Ltd. were found to be non-compliant. Penalties ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 will be imposed under the "Food Sanitation Management Act."
Following a tip-off, the Chiayi County Investigation Station discovered in February that an underground preserved radish factory in Huneli, Chiayi City, was suspected of adding excessive benzoic acid preservatives. The factory distributed its products to retail outlets across Taiwan, with monthly shipments exceeding 1,000 kilograms. Samples sent to the FDA for testing revealed benzoic acid levels as high as 2.78 grams per kilogram, far exceeding the legal limit of 1 gram per kilogram.
On the 11th, the investigation team, along with Chiayi City Health Bureau officials, conducted a raid. Approximately 720 boxes of various preserved radish products, totaling over 86,000 kilograms, were seized. These included "crushed radish," "large radish," and "sliced radish," all suspected of containing excessive benzoic acid.
The 70-year-old owner, Lin Shih-hsiung, has been producing preserved radish for 30 to 40 years and has been penalized multiple times for excessive preservative use. He admitted to "eyeballing the dosage" and claimed, "washing it a few more times won’t kill anyone." His decades-long disregard for consumer health was shocking. The investigation station stated that once the test results are finalized, the case will be referred for penalties under the "Food Sanitation Management Act."
Meanwhile, the FDA also released the latest test results for veterinary drug residues in commercially available livestock and poultry products. Out of 99 samples, one—"Nutrient-Enhanced Goat Milk" from Sacred Heart Kindergarten in Kaohsiung—was found to contain the antibiotic "Lincomycin" at 0.012 ppm, violating the zero-tolerance policy.
Further investigation traced the problematic goat milk to Chen Ying Co., Ltd., a dairy manufacturer in Tainan City. As the company failed to provide further sourcing details, it was fined NT$60,000 under Article 11 of the "Food Sanitation Management Act."Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E7……6% 85% E6% A8% 99- 213000608. html;_ylt=AhcaG.Rd9lt2g9ka6GbGXsnMBdF_;_ylu=X3oDMTMyamxhNHFxBG1pdANJbmZpbml0ZSBCcm93c2UgVFcEcGtnA2I2YTBjNzlmLTQzZWQtMzk4OC05NGQxLTE2YTFmMmM1MTNjOQRwb3MDbDIEc2VjA21lZGlhaW5maW5pdGVicm93c2VsaXN0;_ylg=X3oDMTM4M2V2aGRoBGludGwDdHcEbGFuZwN6aC1oYW50LXR3BHBzdGFpZAM3OTA2NWQ1OC1hNjYxLTNiNTItYjhkMi0zNDQ2NGI3Y2IzZGEEcHN0Y2F0A.WcsOaWuXzljZflj7DngaMEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdl;_ylv=3