Health authorities have seized more products after discovering that another upstream food additive manufacturer had been adding the chemical di-isononyl phthalate (DINP) to clouding agents, the Department of Health said yesterday.
The health department said Pin Han Perfumery Co in Tucheng District (土城), New Taipei City (新北市) had been illegally adding DINP to its clouding agents.
Clouding agents are used to create opacity in foodstuffs and beverages to make them more appealing to consumers.
Photo: CNA
Investigators searched Pin Han on Friday evening and summoned owner Chen Che-hsiung (陳哲雄), his wife, Wang Fen (王粉), and his son Chen Wei-cheng (陳威丞) for questioning.
Banciao judges yesterday morning approved prosecutors’ application to detain Chen Che--hsiung and Wang. Chen Wei-cheng was released on NT$100,000 (US$3,465) bail.
As a result of the latest finding, the Department of Health seized sports drinks and asparagus juice made by two companies in central and southern Taiwan, as well as the products from a cooking oil company in Kaohsiung.
Food and Drug Administration Director-General Kang Jaw-jou (康照洲) said DINP is a chemical similar to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), which was recently discovered in many local beverages and dietary supplements.
Kang said 54,822 cartons of sports drink and 36,533 cartons of asparagus juice, as well as 128kg of clouding agent used by Uni--President Enterprises Corp in Greater Tainan, have been seized, along with 5,682 cartons of sports drink and 13.82kg of clouding agent used by Maida Foods Corp in Yunlin County, as well as various products from Tai Hwa Oil Industrial Co in Greater Kaohsiung.
He said that both DINP and DEHP are legal when used in the manufacture of plastic products, but can not be legally used as food additives.
In animal experiments, DINP has been found to have less adverse health effects than DEHP, although it has been found to cause organ damage in rodents, Kang said.
The EU has not listed DINP as a carcinogen, he said.
DINP, like DEHP, is flushed from the body quickly, he said.
Additional reporting by Rich Chang
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
RSS