The Department of Health confirmed yesterday that potentially toxic milk powder imported from China’s Sanlu Group has been sold to 10 distributors in nine cities and counties in Taiwan. There are fears that some of the milk powder may have found its way into processed or packaged foods such as coffee beverages.
The products were imported by Fonterra (ING) Ltd’s Taiwan branch on June 26. The milk powder is believed to contain melamine, a chemical used in plastic utensils, glue and fabrics. Adding melamine can increase the amount of protein contained in the powder.
The department said last night that 25 tonnes of the milk powder, packaged in 1,000 packs each containing 25kg, had been sold to 10 distributors in Taipei, Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Hualien, Yunlin and Chiayi counties, as well as Taipei and Taichung cities. Of these, 605 have been distributed.
The department said local authorities were trying to locate 130 packs sold to Royal Fun Food Corp, which then sold them to other companies in Taipei County. A company in Pingtung has already sold the powder to farmers for agricultural purposes, while in Hualien 20 packs have beenused in other products, it said.
Two packs in Yunlin have been sold to a company in Chiayi, where some of the powder has been made into semi-finished products, the department said, adding that the products had been traced and sealed by authorities. Health officials have also traced and sealed 20 packs in Kaohsiung that were sold to a processed food factory in Changhua County and had been used in finished products such as milk coffee beverages.
Almost 400 packs were found at a warehouse in Taoyuan yesterday and were sealed by health officials, who stamped the words “Not for human consumption” on each pack.
“We are concerned that some of the finished products [made from the milk powder] have been sold to consumers,” Health Minister Lin Fang-yue (林芳郁) told a press conference yesterday.
He said local health authorities were still trying to track down the remaining milk powder, adding that “all toxic milk powder will be sealed up and destroyed at a later date.”
Lin said the department had notified the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection to ensure that the import of Sanlu products be prohibited. Only products that have tested negative for melamine will be allowed in, he said.
Also See: More babies, infants fall ill in China milk scandal
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday inaugurated the Danjiang Bridge across the Tamsui River in New Taipei City, saying that the structure would be an architectural icon and traffic artery for Taiwan. Feted as a major engineering achievement, the Danjiang Bridge is 920m long, 211m tall at the top of its pylon, and is the longest single-pylon asymmetric cable-stayed bridge in the world, the government’s Web site for the structure said. It was designed by late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The structure, with a maximum deck of 70m, accommodates road and light rail traffic, and affords a 200m navigation channel for boats,
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
RSS