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Public reassured by government over bad apples

"... consumers will not be seeing any codling moth larva."

Chang Hung-yi, a quarantine official

Seeking to dispel consumer concerns following the ban on US apples, food inspection officials yesterday said that all imports on the market meet national health standards.

"We don't allow any apple imports to enter the market until they pass inspection, therefore local consumers will not be seeing any codling moth larva," said Chang Hung-yi (張弘毅), a section chief at the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine.

Chang made the comments after both media and retail officials yesterday reported the public was concerned about worm-infested apples.

Late last week, quarantine officials imposed a temporary ban on US apple imports after finding a codling moth larvae in a shipment of apples from Washington State.

Since the incident, the government has tightened up inspections, doubling the number of crates opened and making more meticulous inspections.

The moth is not a no risk to humans, but it is a threat to fruit-bearing crops.

Importers also claim that there is no need to worry about the moth.

"This is not a major issue and the situation is totally under control," said Chris Lin (林高賢), director of the Washington Apple Commission's Taipei Office.

As the local representative for the Washington State Fruit Commission, the association works with retail stores and importers to promote apples from Washington State.

Lin called the discovery of one larva a "really extraordinary event," adding that they've run the business for over 25 years with no codling moths ever being found.

One local retailer is, nevertheless, working hard to educate the public. Tesco Stores Co Taiwan (特易購) plans to hang posters in stores emphasizing that the codling moth is harmless to humans.

Another retailer said it has noticed the public is shying away from US apples.

"Starting from Saturday, US apple sales in our retail stores dropped," said Cheng Yun-hsiang (程雲香), a buyer at Far Eastern Geant Co (愛買吉安), a French-Taiwanese joint venture hypermart.

"Even though consumers know the moth is harmless, they still feel uncomfortable eating the apples," she said.

More than 80 percent of Geant's apples are imported from the US, and Cheng said the company has a four-week supply. Should their surplus run low, Geant may increase apple imports from South Korea and Japan to meet demand.

Although the temporary ban may be a good opportunity for South Korean and Japan apple importers to grab market share, Cheng said market acceptance may pose a hurdle.

"Taiwanese like US apples because they taste good and the price is cheap," Cheng said.

South Korean and Japanese apple prices are more than double.

"I think the market position of US apples won't be impacted because of the ban," she said.
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