The Yunlin County Government’s Public Health Bureau has ordered a recall of six shredded ginger products after they were found to contain excessive levels of sulphur dioxide.
The bureau tested 11 ground ginger samples collected from a traditional market in the county’s Siluo Township (西螺) last month. Six were discovered to contain sulphur dioxide that were 40 times higher than the maximum permissible amount of 0.03 grams per kilogram.
“Sulphur dioxide is widely used in foods as a preservative and antioxidant. It is presumed that the manufacturers of the tainted products illegally added the substance to prevent the color of the shredded ginger from turning black and dragging down its market value,” the bureau said.
During the investigation, health bureau officials also discovered that the food additives sodium metabisulfite and aluminum ammonium sulfate used by a ginger manufacturer had the same permit number, the bureau said, adding that one of the numbers could have been falsified.
Investigators have traced the additives to a supplier in Chiayi City, which is to be fined in accordance with Article 28 of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法), the city Health Bureau said.
The article stipulates that the labeling, promotion or advertisement of foods, food additives, food cleansers and food utensils, food containers or packaging should not be false, exaggerated or misleading. Violation of the article carries a fine ranging from NT$40,000 to NT$4 million (US$1,304 to US$130,374).
According to the bureau, sodium metabisulfite is used as a bleaching agent, while aluminum ammonium sulfate is a leavening agent. It said it had sent samples of ground ginger provided by the manufacturer for testing for other food additives.
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