Certain health supplements and raisins imported from the US failed to meet Chinese safety standards and have been returned or destroyed, the country's food safety agency said yesterday, turning the tables on the US amid growing worries over dangerous Chinese products.
Inspectors in the ports of Ningbo and Shenzhen found bacteria and sulfur dioxide in products shipped by three US companies, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said.
"The products failed to meet the sanitary standards of China," the agency said in a brief notice posted on its Web site.
No details were given on when or how the inspections had been conducted.
Telephones at the administration's office were not answered yesterday.
The companies were identified as K-Max Health Products Co, CMO Distribution Center of America, Inc, and Pervalu International Division.
The administration said K-Max and CMO exported health capsules, including bacteria-fighting supplements and honey.
Pervalu exported raisins, it said.
The shipments from K-Max and Pervalu have been destroyed and CMO's capsules were returned, the notice said.
The notice did not say which contaminants were found in which products, although sulfur dioxide is sometimes used as a preservative in dried fruit.
It said they were found in amounts that surpassed acceptable levels, but did not give any details.
The announcement was the second mention in the past few days of China rejecting foreign food imports.
Late last month, France's Groupe Danone SA said China seized five containers of Evian water in February because of concern over high bacteria levels.
Those came after concerns spiked over the safety of Chinese food exports following the deaths of cats and dogs in North America blamed on tainted pet food ingredients from China.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS