The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday said its amended draft regulation, which lowers nuclear radiation tolerance limits in food, actually broadens the scope of its control.
The agency made the remarks in response to concerns raised by legislators and civic groups over its plan to amend the Standard of Safety Tolerance of Nuclear Fallout or Radioactivity Contamination for Food, which included revising safety tolerance limits for radioactive isotopes Cesium-134 and Cesium-137 in food from 370 becquerels per kilogram (Bq/kg) to 600Bq/kg.
The revised levels led to concerns from several civic groups, who questioned why the new permitted level of Cesium-134 and Cesium-137 in food fell below the standard set in Japan, where food is more likely to be contaminated by radiation due to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant crisis.
Some group members raised concerns that the change in standards could result in Taiwan importing radiation-contaminated food from Japan.
At a public hearing held by legislators on Thursday, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Kang Jaw-jou (康照洲) said assessment on revising standards began in 2010.
During the assessment, the department referred to international scientific evaluations and found that the draft regulation listed more the types of radioactive isotopes listed for control than the previous regulation.
The revised regulation actually broadens the scope of control and is not intended to benefit particular countries, Kang said, adding that “imported food from five prefectures in Japan is still prohibited in Taiwan.”
Kang said the FDA would consider the suggestions from civic groups and also communicate with them on the standards.
In a new statement, the FDA said that imports of food from five prefectures in Japan — Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba — remained suspended, and eight types of food produced in other parts of Japan must go through lot-by-lot inspections for radiation levels, according to the same standards as those used in Japan
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
RSS