The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday said it would set the safety level of ractopamine residue in beef at 10 parts per million (ppb).
The department said that starting from tomorrow, all stores that sell beef products — such as dried goods stores, wholesale stores, wholesale stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, grocery shops and traditional markets — as well as shops that sell meals containing beef, such as restaurants, night markets and food courts, are required to label products with the beef’s country of origin.
Starting from Thursday next week, packaged food that contains beef, such as beef jerky and instant noodles containing beef, is also required to be clearly labeled with the beef’s country of origin, it said.
The department’s Food and Drug Administration intends to perform lot by lot inspections to ensure imported beef products are up to the Taiwanese standards, the department said, adding that the inspection measures are to be adjusted according to the actual testing results.
In addition, the department said checks on domestic retail stores are to be conducted by local health departments, and the examinations are to be done in three stages — packaged products, bulk products and shops that serve meals containing beef.
The department said retailers and restaurant owners who fail to inform consumers of the beef’s country of origin and that fail to improve the situation within a given deadline, may face fines of between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
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