The Food and Drug Administration yesterday said recent inspections of fresh produce sold throughout the nation showed that 9.5 percent tested positive for unhealthy amounts of pesticides, with beans and peas topping the list.
In October and last month, officials from the Department of Health teamed up with local governments to conduct spot checks on 410 types of fresh fruits and vegetables sold at supermarkets, grocery chain stores and -traditional market stalls.
They found that 39 types of produce, or 9.5 percent, violated regulations governing pesticide levels, and officials were in the process of tracking down the sources of the produce.
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
Health officials found 13 violations in the category of small leafy vegetables, two in the melon-like vegetable category, 12 in beans and peas, eight in fruits, one in mushrooms, one in large berries, one in pome fruits and one in edible flowers.
The administration said it was especially alarmed by the the level of pesticide residue found in beans and peas — the highest, at 63.2 percent — which translated to about three out of every five beans or peas containing unhealthy levels of pesticide.
Health officials said the high levels of pesticide residue on beans and peas could be a result of farmers spraying pesticides onto vines with both ripe and unripe vegetables.
The administration told consumers that when shopping for fresh produce, it is important to look for the CAS (certified agricultural standards) mark on the products.
When washing fruit and vegetables, people should also remove the roots first and soak the product in water for between 10 minutes and 20 minutes before washing them under running water two to three times to remove any remaining pesticide.
Depending on the toxicity levels and how much is consumed, studies have shown that pesticides can cause problems, such as birth defects, nerve damage and cancer. Some pesticides also pose unique health risks to children.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai