The Consumer Protection Commission yesterday released a list of preserved milk products currently on sale that have not been properly labeled, saying the error could result in them being confused for fresh milk.
The commission recently conducted inspections on preserved milk products, also known as ultra- high temperature (UHT) processed milk, and found that 11 types manufactured by three well-known producers had been labeled in a way that could mislead shoppers.
Various preserved, flavored and high-calcium milk products processed by Kuang Chuan Dairy Co (光泉牛乳), Fresh Delight Taiwan (福樂鮮乳) and Taiwan Provincial Farmers’ Association (台農乳品) carried no label identifying them as preserved milk on the front of their packaging, commission section chief Wu Cheng-hsueh (吳政學) said.
PHOTO: CNA
The consumer ombudsman began its investigation after receiving a complaint from a confused consumer.
“Many producers indicate the percentage of fresh milk contained and include a list of ingredients in small print on the side of the package, but they do not write ‘flavored milk’ or ‘preserved milk’ on the front of the package ... Consumers may be misled into thinking a products is pure, fresh milk because it is refrigerated,” Wu said.
The most important difference between fresh and preserved milk is that bacteria is killed during the UHT treatment process, so preserved milk typically has a shelf life of about six months, while fresh milk lasts only about 14 days before it spoils. Fresh milk and preserved milk have a similar nutritious value, but fresh milk is typically higher priced.
Confronted with this revelation, producers informed the commission that as there was no difference in the quality of the milk it did not constitute an attempt to mislead consumers.
They did, however, promise to upgrade their labeling within the next few months.
The Department of Health’s Food and Drug Administration yesterday urged producers to clearly distinguish between fresh and preserved milk on labeling and packaging or face fines of up to NT$150,000 for violation of the Act Governing Food Sanitation (食品衛生管理法).
In related news, the Consumers’ Foundation yesterday said that one out of every six plastic kitchen gloves sold in Taiwan contains too much plasticizer, which can cause health problems, especially for pregnant women.
The consumer rights watchdog recently conducted inspections on 12 types of widely available kitchen glove and found that two products, manufactured by Haw-ping Corp (豪品國際實業) and RT-Mart (大潤發), contained over 0.1 percent of phthalate plasticizer, the maximum allowed under Chinese National Standard 3478 for plastic shoes. The foundation used that standard as a proxy for kitchen gloves because there is currently no standard for gloves in Taiwan.
Exposure to phthalate plasticizer, also known as environmental hormones, can disrupt a person’s endocrine system causing a higher risk of breast cancer or endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus), Consumers’ Foundation committee member and dermatologist Chan Heng-leong (曾興隆) said.
Responding to the foundation’s claims, Haw-ping and RT-Mart said their products did not pose a health risk and were in accordance with product safety standards.
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716