The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday said that only 3 percent of imported soybeans are non-genetically modified and it has enhanced border controls by adding 121 types of food to the list of items that are subject to mandatory inspections.
Non-governmental organizations, including the Consumers’ Foundation and the Homemakers United Foundation, as well as legislators have more than once questioned the distribution of genetically modified and non-genetically modified soybeans, urging the government to enhance its border controls.
FDA official Hsiao Hui-wen (蕭惠文) said the agency differentiated the commodity codes for imported genetically modified and non-genetically modified soybeans in July and statistics show that 97 percent of imported soybeans were genetically modified, and were mostly used for making cooking oil.
Photo: CNA
She said after differentiating the commodity codes, the agency can better control the amount and the flow of soybeans, as well as track down what they are made into through the agency’s Food Cloud traceability system.
The FDA has also implemented differentiated commodity codes for imports of genetically modified and non-genetically modified corn, sweet corn, beet and oilseed rape, and has advised importers that these commodities must undergo a mandatory examination if the items are to be used in food products.
FDA Division of Food Safety section head Wu Tsung-hsi (吳宗熹) said all food items have been assigned a commodity code and there were a total of 2,485 codes as of Tuesday.
Last year, a well-known chain beverage store imported non-food-use rose leaves containing pesticide residues, but used them to make rose tea.
When the store’s actions were discovered, the agency added a food commodity code for dried flowers, Wu said.
Dried flowers used for food products, bamboo leaves (for wrapping zongzi), bamboo sheathes (for making bamboo rice) and activated carbon (for filtering water) have all now been added to the list of items subject to mandatory examinations, he said.
The agency said that imported food products, genetically modified food ingredients, food additives, food containers, utensils and wrappers all have to conform to a specific set of regulations based on their commodity codes, and if they fail the examination they are not allowed to enter the local market.
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