A vegetable retail firm in Greater Taichung, which has been selling bean sprouts for more than six decades, has allegedly been using industrial-grade bleach since last year to “cure” his bean sprouts so they appear whiter and are less prone to rot, Taichung police said yesterday.
The retailer allegedly sold vegetables treated with diluted sodium dithionite to traditional markets, street vendors and other restaurants, the police said.
During a recent joint operation with the Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office and other government agencies in a sweep of Beitun District (北屯), they found five barrels of sodium dithionite weighing 233kg, 700kg of bean sprouts and more than 9,000 liters of diluted sodium dithionite, as well as export lists, the police said.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau said food-grade sodium dithionite and other sulfites could be considered food additives under the Standards for Specification, Scope, Application and Limitation of Food Additives (食品添加物使用範圍及限量暨規格標準), but were not allowed to be used on vegetables sold fresh.
Any use of sodium dithionite on fresh vegetables and fruits constitutes a breach of the standards, it said.
The retailer was founded by an 81-year-old man surnamed Tsai (蔡) who sold bean sprouts for a living, according to the police investigation.
The business is currently handled by his son, Tsai Jui-yih (蔡瑞益), and grandson, the police said, adding that prior to export, the family-owned business would also soak the bean sprouts in a vat of five tonnes of water with 1kg of sodium dithionite for five minutes so the vegetables looked better and were more resistant to rot.
The factory produced roughly 1,500kg of bean sprouts per day, the police said.
Police said that although Tsai Jui-yih and the factory’s manager Hao Tai-hua (郝代華) had admitted yesterday to soaking bean sprouts in sodium dithionite, they said they were unaware that it was illegal.
Meanwhile, city government food and drug management division head Chiu Hui-tzu (邱惠慈) reminded consumers not to pick the “best-looking” products when visiting traditional markets.
If vegetables remain “fresh” after standing in room temperature for some time, it is very possible they were treated with illegal additives, she said, adding that consumers should thoroughly wash their vegetables to ensure food safety.
Long-term sustained ingestion of sodium dithionite might damage the respiratory system and increase the risk of pulmonary diseases in bronchitis patients, she said, adding that it could also cause difficulty breathing and is a common cause for asthma attacks.
Violations of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法) can result in fines from NT$30,000 to NT$3 million, (US$976 to US$97,600) Chiu said, adding that crimes involving illegal additives can earn a sentence of up to five years in prison, or NT$8 million in fines.
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