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.
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