The Department of Health said yesterday that after testing several food products for melamine, two batches of Chinese fried bread sticks were found to contain 3.37 parts per million (ppm) and 4.29ppm.
Health departments across the country have randomly tested more than 100 batches of baked goods and other foods that are commonly prepared with ammonium bicarbonate, including cookies, bread, grilled squid, barbequed pork buns, wedding cakes, honeycomb cookies and cream puffs.
Of the tested samples, the only products found to contain melamine were the two batches of Chinese fried bread sticks, Deputy Minister of Health Cheng Shou-hsia (鄭守夏) said at a press conference yesterday.
PHOTO: CNA
Cheng said the two batches contained very low levels of melamine and that health officials would continue to supervise the production of these products and conduct random testing to ensure businesses are using safe food additives.
Businesses such as bakeries and food stands that do not use Chinese-made baking ammonia as a food additive are allowed to put up signs that say “No Chinese-made baking ammonia added, customers need not worry,” Cheng said.
On Saturday, ammonium bicarbonate imported by Sesoda Corp (東碱股份有限公司) from China’s Huaer Chemical Co (化二化工有限公司) was found to contain between 70ppm and 300ppm of melamine.
Of the 400 tonnes imported, more than 200 tonnes remain in circulation and have yet to be tracked down by health officials.
On Friday, Hunya Foods Co (宏亞食品), which purchased 700kg of ammonium bicarbonate from Sesoda, announced that all products containing the ammonium bicarbonate had been pulled from shelves.
Ammonium bicarbonate, also known as baking ammonia, is listed as a legal food additive in the Scope and Application of Food Additives (食品添加物使用範圍及限量標準). The chemical is not toxic and is used in the food industry as a leavening agent.
The department has banned imports of baking ammonia from China and passed this information on to the WHO’s International Food Safety Authorities Network.
Cheng said the department would clear up the matter with China via channels of communication established by the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS).
If Huaer is responsible for adding harmful substances to the ammonium bicarbonate sold to Sesoda, the department will demand an apology from Huaer and help the Taiwanese companies negatively affected by the product seek compensation.
Meanwhile, the department said it was awaiting a response from Zhongshi Duqing (Shandong) Biotech Co regarding King Car Industrial Co’s (金車) recall of its instant coffee and instant soup products after it was discovered that the products contained a melamine-spiked non-dairy creamer produced by Zhongshi Duqing.
The department will give out samples of Chinese fried bread sticks free of Chinese-made baking ammonia tomorrow to restore consumer confidence.
The location, however, has yet to be announced.
Meanwhile, Vice Premier Paul Chiu (邱正雄) said yesterday the government would help people who have suffered health problems because of tainted food from China request compensation from Beijing through the SEF.
Chiu said during a committee meeting in the legislature that the Consumer Protection Commission would make the appeals for compensation through the foundation and ARATS.
“At present, the Consumer Protection Commission has received 80 inquiries and is handling three cases of people with kidney stones [caused by tainted Chinese dairy products] for compensation from China,” Chiu said.
He said the SEF could raise the issue of compensation with ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) during his upcoming visit to Taiwan.
Addressing the discovery of the chemical in ammonium bicarbonate over the weekend, Chiu said: “ammonium bicarbonate is a legal food additive and the quantity added into foods is very small.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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