Popular herbal remedy drinks Paolyta B (保力達B) and Sanyo Whisbih (維士比) are alcoholic beverages categorized as a non-prescription medication and are prohibited from being sold at convenience stores, betel nut stands or other business establishments without a drug company license, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
“The administration and local health departments inspected a total of 105 betel nut stands in Taipei City, Greater Taichung and Greater Kaohsiung last month, of which 14 were found illegally selling the herbal liquors without a permit,” FDA Northern Center section head Wu Ming-mei (吳明美) told a press conference in Taipei yesterday morning.
However, the national retailer violation rate concerning alcoholic herbal beverages sales dropped from 38 percent in a March inspection to 13 percent in the inspection conducted last month, Wu said.
The significant decrease indicates that the administration’s frequent impromptu inspections have helped deter such irregularities, which is punishable by a fine ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 as stipulated in Article 92 of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法), she added.
Wu said the herbal beverages are often consumed by construction site workers before or during work because they are believed to be effective in relieving fatigue.
“However, as such drinks contain an alcohol content of about 9 or 10 percent, which could impede the workers’ concentration during work, most of which involves operating heavy construction equipment, it therefore puts their safety at risk,” Wu said.
There have also been multiple cases in which blue-collar workers have been sentenced to several months in prison for driving under the influence after drinking the herbal drinks, she said.
“Consumers are advised to drink the herbal liquors no more than three times a day and less than 40 mililiters each time,” Wu said.
“Long-term or overconsumption of the alcohol-laced beverages would have the same detrimental effect on the liver as any other alcoholic drinks would,” Wu said.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
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