Nearly 300 tonnes of dry oak mushrooms grown in China have been imported from a third country in the last three years, and health authorities should tackle the health risk, a legislator said yesterday.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lai Ching-te (賴清德) yesterday released customs records of imported dried mushrooms from 2002 to this year, saying they were inconsistent with those of exporters.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
In the last three years, customs documents show that the nation has imported 252 tonnes of dry mushrooms from Japan, but records there indicate only 15 tonnes were exported. Similarly, during this period of time, Taiwan imported 64 tonnes of the mushroom from South Korea, but export records there only account for 18 tonnes.
"We suspect that Chinese oak mushrooms make up the gaps. Ironically, we don't see health authorities actively checking these goods, which are easily available on the market and might jeopardize consumers' health," Lai said.
Lai said lax regulations in China made the quality of Chinese agricultural products inferior to other countries. He also added that two years ago, Japan detected residues of toxic dichlorvos at levels 28 times higher than what is acceptable on produce imported from China.
China's food safety regulations are far lower than those of its neighbors. Farmers there are permitted to use preservatives such as formaldehyde.
In addition, Singapore and Hong Kong also reported exceedingly high levels of heavy metals and pesticides in mushrooms imported from China, Lai said.
Lai also said Chinese farmers often add sulfur dioxide or formaldehyde to keep mushrooms pleasing to the eye, but these chemicals pose a threat to human health.
Responding to Lai's claims, officials at the Department of Health said regular examinations of imported items are carried out by the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection under the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
According to Hsiao Tung-ming (蕭東銘), deputy director of the department's Bureau of Food Safety, in recent years, the government has not found levels of chemicals exceeding national standards in imported dry mushrooms.
"Consumers should be confident of governmental practices in ensuring food safety," Hsiao told the Taipei Times.
Hsiao also said that if agricultural goods failed to meet the nation's food safety regulations, more comprehensive checks are conducted.
In related developments, local mushroom farmers who face competition from imported mushrooms urged the government to protect their livelihoods.
"We are afraid that suspicious Chinese mushrooms coming into Taiwan can beat local products due to their unbelievably low prices," said Chen Tsung-ming (陳宗明), director-general of the Taiwan Mushroom Research and Development Association.
According to Chen, the price of high quality Korean mushrooms declared at customs in Taiwan is only 13 percent of what it costs in South Korea.
Taiwanese mushrooms cost NT$750 per kilogram, but Japanese mushrooms only cost NT$320 per kilogram.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
RSS