A Taiwanese bubble tea drink operator in Germany made public on Friday test results that showed the ingredients in its products are safe for consumption, rebutting a media report that the beverage may contain chemicals that could cause cancer.
The results of the tests, conducted by a German government-certified lab, showed the ingredients in the beverage conform to German health regulations, said Lai Ming-ching, owner of Berlin-headquartered teashop chain BoBoQ and Possmei, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of bubble tea drink ingredients.
Lai was rebutting a report published on Aug. 21 by German newspaper Rheinische Post that said the drink contained carcinogenic chemicals such as styrene, acetophenone and brominated substances.
The media report said samples were collected from an unnamed franchise chain in Moenchengladbach, Germany, and tested by RWTH Aachen University and instrument firm Leco Instrumente GmbH.
Der Spiegel, a German news magazine, also ran the report and said most of the materials were imported from Taiwan.
Lai said such negative reports have led to a loss of business in BoBoQ’s 100-plus franchised stores. The company intends to collect evidence and may take legal action against the media outlets that ran “false reports” against BoBoQ’s products, he said.
Taiwan’s representative office in Germany also issued a statement dated Aug. 31, saying food items in Taiwan are monitored under the Act Governing Food Sanitation (食品衛生管理法).
It said that Taiwan carries out regular checks to make sure exported goods comply with the legal requirements of the destination countries.
Meanwhile, on Sept. 2, German radio station Deutschland Radio reported that the tests cited in the Rheinische Post article did not specify examination methods or the amount of cancer-causing substances found in the drink.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
RSS