Travelers arriving in Taiwan will not be allowed to bring hairy crabs into the country anymore after traces of carcinogens were detected in crabs imported from China, the Department of Health (DOH) announced yesterday.
As of yesterday, hairy crabs imported from China, also known as dazha crabs, will require a food safety inspection certificate, the DOH said.
After the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection on Monday found traces of carcinogens in a consignment of hairy crabs, six new batches of the crabs containing cancer-causing substances were discovered yesterday, the DOH officials said.
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
The officials estimated that more than 3 tonnes of carcinogen-tainted hairy crabs from China have been consumed in Taiwan.
According to the DOH's inspection data, the nitrofuran concentration in the six new batches of hairy crabs from the Shanghai area averaged between 1.1 parts per billion (ppb) and 1.25ppb, while the batch that inspected on Monday had a nitrofuran content of 4.7ppb.
Nitrofurans are a group of cancer-causing chemicals which have been banned for use in food-producing animals in most countries.
Lawmakers yesterday accused the DOH of concealing information that batches of hairy crabs imported from China since last year were found to contain carcinogens.
The information was first disclosed at a press conference held by Democratic Progressive Party legislators Cheng Kuo-chung (
"The DOH didn't make the information public until we demanded in an official document late yesterday that it should do so immediately," Cheng said.
The lawmakers said that DOH officials had to take responsibility for concealing the findings.
Displaying three hairy crabs that had been bought at a supermarket, the lawmakers said that there were no indications to consumers about where the crustaceans were from and whether they had been certified safe for consumption.
The lawmakers urged the DOH to eliminate loopholes in inspecting foods from China.
"We suggest that the government should station inspectors in China to ensure food hygiene before the products are transported into the country," Wu said.
"Meanwhile, the government should demand that Chinese hairy crabs be sold only with a quarantine certificate attached," Wu added.
Hsia Tung-ming (蕭東銘), the director of the DOH's Bureau of Food Safety, said that tougher measures would be implemented to prevent more contaminated crabs from reaching consumers.
Testing will be stepped up and all shipments of crabs reaching Taiwan will need an examination report proving that the crabs do not contain residual antibiotics exceeding the legal limits.
Meanwhile, the president of a company that imports hairy crabs from China said at a news conference yesterday that all the crabs that have been listed as "problematic" were distributed by the Taipei Farm Produce Marketing Co and that officials from the Taipei City Department of Health had inspected the shipment and determined that the amount of carcinogens they contained was negligible.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS