Up to 70 percent of milk and dairy products sold in Taiwan contain residues of chemicals and drugs used for livestock animals, which can be harmful to humans, according to an investigative report from the Chinese-language Business Weekly published today.
The contaminated products were produced by some of the nation’s leading dairy companies, such as Uni-President, Wei Chuan, Kuang Chuan and Taiwan Bifido.
Chemical residues ranged from antibiotics, plasticizers and anti-depressants to contraceptives, estrogen compounds and other pharmaceuticals.
Business Weekly said it commissioned Chen Liang-yu (陳良宇), a professor of biotechnology at Ming Chuan University in Taipei, to undertake analysis studies of dairy products.
Chen’s analysis presented four major findings:
‧ Antibiotics: All samples were found to contain metabolite of the antibiotic pyrimido Azepine.
‧ Plasticizers: All samples were found to contain the plasticizer dibutyl phthalate. The following had contaminants from two or more plasticizers: Ruisui Brand Chocolate Flavored Milk from Uni-President, Papaya Milk from Wei Chuan, Good Friend Cocoa Milk from Taiwan Bifido and High Quality Pure Milk from Kuang Chuan.
‧ Estrogen and Contraceptives: Ruisui Brand Chocolate Flavored Milk from Uni-President was found to contain tetrachloro-o-benzoquinone, a metabolite of estrogen and contraceptive drugs. Homogenized whole milk from Kuang Chuan contained hydroxy-norgestrel-methyloxime, another metabolite.
‧ Tranquilizers and Anti--Depressants: Good Friend Cocoa Milk from Taiwan Bifido contained clomipramine, a metablite of tranquilizer and anti-depressant drugs. The Dr Milker Whole Milk brand from Uni-President contained dehydroxyl-vincadine, another metabolite from this class of drugs.
Officials at the Food and Drug Administration said as this was a report from the private sector, local health bureaus would now monitor dairy products and send samples for analysis.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
RSS