Taiwanese health authorities yesterday ordered stores to remove US beef products found to contain residue of a banned chemical, despite reassurances from the US that its beef products are safe.
The measure will ensure that such products are not consumed by the public until the results of a second round of mandatory tests is available, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Kang Jaw-jou (康照洲) said.
It was the first time that the feed additive Paylean, which promotes production of lean meat in cattle, had been detected in US beef since Taiwan reopened its doors to US beef in 2007, after suspending imports of the product amid concerns over mad cow disease.
Paylean contains ractopamine, one of four animal feed additives — along with salbutamol, terbu-taline and clenbuterol — that are banned in Taiwan.
A day earlier, the Department of Health (DOH) announced that 1 to 2 parts per billion (ppb) of Paylean had been detected in three out of 24 imported beef products sold in hypermarkets in northern Taiwan. All three products came from the US.
In addition, Paylean levels of 5ppb were detected in each of two batches of US beef awaiting customs clearance. The importers decided to forfeit the beef.
Tsai Shu-chen (蔡淑貞), chief of the FDA’s food division, said that of the three meat products found to contain the chemical residue, one came from the Neihu branch of RT-Mart (大潤發), with a reading of 0.64ppb, while the other two came from the Neihu branch of Costco (好市多), with readings of 1.46ppb and 2.84ppb.
RT-Mart said it had removed all remaining products from the 1,207kg batch of meat products that came with the one that tested positive for Paylean. Costco, which had sold 160kg and 300kg of the products, said it had notified customers who had bought them to return them for refunds.
There are no other products in Taiwan from the same shipments as the three problem samples, Tsai said.
DOH Minister Yaung Chih--liang (楊志良) said that lean-meat- enhancing drugs are permitted in some countries, but are banned in Taiwan.
He added that low levels of ractopamine, as detected in the products in question, do not pose an immediate health hazard to humans.
For beef containing 1 to 2ppb of ractopamine, a person weighing 60kg would have to eat 30kg to 60kg of the meat per day before exceeding safety limits, he said.
The Consumers’ Foundation, which strongly opposed the government’s decision to open the local market wider to US beef in 2009, yesterday again urged the DOH to set up a traceability system for imported beef to protect consumers.
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) reiterated that US beef is safe.
AIT spokesman Christopher Kavanagh said by telephone that the US has been encouraging Taiwan to “put in place import requirements consistent with the best scientific research and international standards” adopted by 26 countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, Japan and South Korea.
“Taiwan itself has determined in 2007 that ractopamine could be safely used and has notified the WTO [then] that it is going to adopt the internationally recognized maximum ractopamine residue, but it has not yet done so in the three years,” Kavanagh said.
Kavanagh did not comment on the Taiwanese government’s decision to withdraw meat found to contain ractopamine from the market.
According to Kang, the WHO is planning to set a maximum level of 10ppb for ractopamine residue in meat products, but has not made a formal announcement on the issue.
If the WHO makes such an announcement, the Council of -Agriculture will consider whether to lift the ban, Kang said.
Asked whether the issue will be discussed when the US and Taiwan resume Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) talks, Kavanagh said the US was still assessing the possibility of resuming the TIFA talks.
Late last month, Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang (施顏祥) told the legislature’s Economics Committee that US Deputy Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis was expected to lead a US delegation to Taipei sometime this month and hold talks with Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Francis Liang (梁國新).
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