Several frozen or iced beverages at stores in Taipei have failed a food sanitation inspection, the Taipei Department of Health said on Monday, adding that there was a failure rate of 5.6 percent.
The department in mid-April conducted sanitary inspections of 160 items — including 117 iced beverages and frozen products, and 43 ingredients for drinks.
The products were tested for bacterial pathogens, while ingredients, such as tapioca balls and aiyu (愛玉) jelly, were tested for preservatives and other items.
While all the 43 ingredients passed the inspection, 32 frozen or iced beverage items failed the first microorganism test. After the shops were given a grace period to improve sanitary conditions, nine items failed a second inspection, the department said.
Among the nine items, iced green tea at fast-food chain Ting Kua Kua Fried Chicken’s (頂呱呱炸雞) Ruiguang Road branch was found with the highest concentration of coliform bacteria — 110 times the legal maximum contaminant level (MCL), the department said.
An iced chocolate milk drink with ice cubes sold at Excellent’s (雅瑟林) Bade Road branch was also found with total coliform bacteria 110 times the MCL and total plate count of microorganisms, 12 times the MCL, it said.
An item found with an excessive total coliforms reading might not cause food poisoning, but it indicates that the product was subject to poor sanitary conditions, the department said.
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