A recent inspection found illegal preservatives in lactobacillus drinks produced by a factory in Miaoli County, the Taipei City Government said yesterday, promising to continue examining the quality of the drinks to protect the public’s health.
Dehydroacetic acid was found in the “Yuanmi” yogurt drink produced at the factory, which sold the drinks to lunchbox vendors for as little as NT$2 per bottle. Furthermore “Yuanmi” contained no lactic acid bacteria, the inspection found.
Chiu Yi-ling (邱怡玲), deputy director of the health department’s food and drugs management office, said the city government had contacted Miaoli County’s health department immediately after the inspection.
FINE
Local authorities destroyed more than 9,000 bottles of “Yuanmi” at the factory and will fine the producers between NT$30,000 (US$930) and NT$50,000 for violating the Food Sanitation Control Law (食品衛生管理法).
Consumption of dehydroacetic acid can cause liver and kidney damage and is potentially carcinogenic if consumption is long-term, she said.
Inspectors also tested five other brands of yogurt drinks but found no illegal preservatives in any. However, two of the five contained insufficient levels of lactic acid bacteria.
TESTING
Chiu said the department would demand the relevant manufacturers improve the quality of their drinks and will conduct a second round of testing in a week.
Chiu suggested that the public choose yogurt drinks produced by reputable manufacturers to ensure quality.
“Yuanmi” and similar drinks produced by smaller producers were often sold to lunchbox vendors at low prices, with a number of vendors providing them as complimentary drinks for customers.
Chiu said the city government was in close contact with eight other city and county governments in northern Taiwan and would recommend more inspections if further problems with food additives were identified.
RSS