Eight preserved or dried fruit and vegetable items recently failed random inspection tests, with three containing excessive levels of additives and five faulted for incorrect labeling, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday.
Given that preserved fruit, dried radish and other dried vegetables are often purchased before the Lunar New Year holiday, the department conducted the inspections on 86 products on sale at convenience stores, traditional markets, hypermarkets, snack wholesalers and other stores.
Among 43 preserved fruit products tested, a dried prune product was found to contain an excessive level of sodium cyclamate — 1.7g/kg, while the legal maximum level is 1.0g/kg — and a sugared dry tomato product had an excessive level of sulfur dioxide at 0.29g/kg, when the legal maximum level is 0.1g/kg.
Food and Drug Division Director Wang Ming-li (王明理) said sodium cyclamate is an artificial sweetener that is about 30 to 50 times sweeter than table sugar, and is often used in food products such as preserved fruit, dried melon seeds, carbonated drinks and sugar substitutes, but long-term consumption can place an extra burden on the kidneys.
Sulfur dioxide is often used in food as a bleaching agent, and excessive consumption could trigger a variety of symptoms, including breathing difficulties, diarrhea, vomiting and increased symptoms or allergic reactions, especially for people with asthma, Wang said.
A dried radish product contained up to 2.3g/kg of benzoic acid when the legal maximum level is 1.0g/kg, Wang said, adding that benzoic acid is often used as a food preservative, but excessive consumption can cause negative effects to the liver and kidneys.
Of the 48 packaged products whose content labels were inspected, five were found to be mislabeled: a smoked plum product, a dried mango product, a dried guava product, a raisin product and a dried pineapple product. Four did not have information about certain food additives, while one had information in the wrong format.
The department said it has asked manufacturers to recall the eight products and they would face fines ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$3 million (US$891.5 to US$89,150).
Consumers should read labels carefully since most preserved fruit items contain preservatives, artificial sweeteners and other additives and should only be consumed in limited quantities, the department said.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
RSS