A Taiwanese manufacturer of bubble tea drink ingredients said that franchise bubble tea store owners in Germany plan to protest next week in Berlin against media reports that the beverage might contain carcinogens.
Possmei Corp chairman Wang Chun-feng (王俊峰) said from his office in New Taipei City (新北市) that the ingredients he sells do not contain carcinogenic substances.
A statement issued by Possmei on Monday voiced discontent with German authorities, who Possmei said had failed to properly explain the situation to the public, and with the German media for running such unfavorable reports without mentioning any brand names or specifying testing procedures.
The firm was referring to a report by the Rheinischen Post on Aug. 22 that said a test conducted by RWTH Aachen University found that bubble tea contains carcinogens such as styrene, acetophenone and brominated substances.
The report said samples were collected from an unnamed franchise chain in Moenchengladbach and that the ingredients in the drink were imported from Taiwan.
A few other media outlets also ran similar reports. Teashop chain BoBoQ, which has more than 100 franchise stores in Germany, said the negative reports have affected its business.
Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday said that the “bubbles” — tapioca balls — sold in Taiwan do not contain cancer-causing chemicals.
FDA official Feng Ren-lan (馮潤蘭) said the colorful bubbles in question in the German test are not commonly seen in Taiwan, although they are manufactured in the country and in Vietnam.
Feng said the German media did not specify the instruments and methods used in the test or the amount of carcinogenic substances found. The report said that brominated substances were found in the drinks, but ignored the fact that brominated matter can also be found in water, she said.
She said that food coloring additives, the containers in which the balls are packed, as well as other packaging materials, could also be the culprits.
Feng said the authenticity of the tests remained unclear because only snippets of information from private organizations and a university lab were cited in the media, while the results of official investigations by the German authorities had not yet been made available.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS