Samples collected two years ago from several crops, including celery and strawberries, were found to contain excessive levels of insecticide residue, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said in a report this month.
The council’s Taiwan Agricultural Chemicals and Toxic Substances Research Institute on Jan. 9 released the results of its insecticide residue tests on vegetables and fruits in 2017.
Of the 5,322 samples of 47 kinds of fruits collected, 3.1 percent contained insecticide residues higher than the maximum permissible level, the report said, adding that strawberries, passion fruit and citrus fruit had a disqualification rate of more than 10 percent.
Photo: Chen Hsin-yu, Taipei Times
Fruits used in school lunches had a disqualification rate of 4.9 percent, higher than the 3 percent among fruits sampled on farms, it said.
Of the 8,847 samples collected from 16 kinds of vegetables, 5.1 percent contained insecticide residues in excess of the permissible limit, the report said, adding that celery, peas and radishes had higher disqualification rates.
The agency collects nearly 30,000 samples of vegetables, fruits, tea leaves and rice for insecticide testing every year, COA Agriculture and Food Agency Deputy Director-General Juang Lao-dar (莊老達) said yesterday.
It immediately informs local agriculture bureaus to track producers and issue fines if it finds samples containing excessive levels of insecticide residues, Juang said.
The disqualification rates are similar to those in Japan, Europe and the US, he said, adding that a ranking of the so-called “most toxic” crops is meaningless, as the list might change every year.
The samples were collected from crops grown in fields and unqualified produce would not be allowed into markets, institute Acting Director-General Ho Ming-hsun (何明勳) said.
The test results should not be interpreted as certain crops being toxic, as the “allowable daily intake” criterion takes into account the daily consumption levels of different substances by people from different age groups, he said.
Certain samples show higher levels of insecticide residues possibly because farmers grow different crops on the same field, while a given insecticide is not applicable for every crop, he said.
Another reason might be that farmers did not harvest the produce at the recommended time, he said, adding that they are advised to use biological insecticides with lower toxicity closer to harvest.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS