Following recent cases of botulism, the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) yesterday said that vacuum-packaged products are not necessarily bacteria-free and that consumers should not purchase vacuum-packaged bean curd products that are not refrigerated.
The commission said non-refrigerated vacuum-packaged products could cause bacteria to breed and increase the risks of food poisoning. As it is difficult to be absolutely certain that a product has not been contaminated or unrefrigerated during the manufacturing, shipping, shelving and selling stages, consumers should cook the food before eating it.
Chang Cheng-ming (張正明), associate professor at National Taiwan Ocean University’s Department of Food Science, was invited by the commission to explain to consumers the possible dangers of consuming vacuum-packaged foods without cooking.
PHOTO: LU CHUN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
“The final line of protection against contaminated foods is to cook the food for at least 10 minutes in boiling water,” he said.
Liu Chin-fang (劉清芳), head of the commission’s Department of Supervision and Coordination, said that typically, packaged foodstuffs made from soybean come in regular packaging and vacuum packaging. Foods that come in regular packaging are safe from botulism contamination, while foods in vacuum packaging must be rid of bacteria through ultra-high temperature and high-pressure conditions.
“If consumers purchase vacuum-packaged food that has not been properly sterilized and consume it directly from the package without cooking it first, they are at risk of being exposed to toxins such as the botulinum bacteria,” she said.
Botulism is caused by a nerve toxin produced by the clostridium botulinum bacteria.
In April, a woman and her mother-in-law were poisoned by what is believed was botulism after consuming vacuum-packaged beancurd products made by Taoyuan County-based Cheng Hsiang Foods.
However, the beancurd and beancurd-related foodstuffs last month tested negative for the botulinum toxin in tests conducted by the Department of Health’s Food and Drug Administration.
Since then, thousands of packaged products made from beancurd have been recalled by health authorities. Local health bureaus have also conducted inspections on 118 manufacturers of vacuum-packaged soybean products and found violations of food processing regulations with 21 manufacturers.
Officials said the manufacturers at fault would face fines of between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000 if conditions do not improve.
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