More than 85 percent of pickled vegetables sold in Taiwan contain too much sulfur dioxide, which can cause allergic reactions or induce asthma and other conditions in certain people, the Consumers’ Foundation said yesterday.
Pickled or fermented vegetables are popular among Taiwanese, who add them to a variety of dishes to give them more flavor.
Although pickled vegetables are easy to make and cost very little, the consumer rights watchdog said shoppers should be mindful of consuming too much of the seemingly harmless dish.
Photo: CNA
The foundation conducted spot checks in December and January targeting 20 types of pickled vegetables sold at various supermarkets, fresh food markets and traditional market stalls in northern parts of the country and found that only two types did not contain preservatives.
The foundation also found that to make the vegetables appear lighter in color and therefore more attractive to shoppers, 17 types of the pickled vegetables had been treated with sulfur dioxide in amounts exceeding the legal maximum amount of 0.03g per kilogram.
Of those, 10 were packaged products, while the rest were unpackaged, the foundation said.
Over-consumption of sulfur dioxide can induce asthma or cause problems in the digestive system, especially for people who have certain allergies, said Hwang Yu-sheng (黃鈺生), publisher of the foundation’s Consumer Reports magazine.
The foundation also reminded consumers that the high amount of sodium contained in pickled vegetables could overburden the arteries and lead to high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. Eating 100g of pickled vegetables could well cause a person to consume more sodium than is recommended for an entire day, the foundation said.
The foundation also advised consumers to finish packaged pickled vegetables within a week of opening the packaging.
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