Legislators yesterday urged the government to investigate and seize seeds that were imported from China and illegally sold in Taiwan through Facebook groups.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Michelle Lin (林楚茵) and Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) at a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei warned about the risks the seeds pose to national safety and agriculture.
Lin said that she received a report in April that someone on Facebook was selling pepino melon seeds of unknown origin, and claiming that the seeds can prevent and heal cancer, as well as reduce blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Photo: Liao Chen-hui, Taipei Times
Another Facebook seller was offering black tomato seeds, which the seller claimed lowered the risk of men developing prostate cancer and heart disease, she said, adding that current regulations do not prevent such sales.
There is no law prohibitng claims that seeds, as opposed to food, could have curative effects, Lin said.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would not halt the Facebook sales, as it questioned whether seeds could be counted as food, she said.
Lin said her colleagues inquired about the seeds and purchased them, which were falsely registered as “decorations” by the sellers.
Chao said that the sellers ignored regulations on marketing, importing, packaging and logistics to illegally sell products that were sent by untraceable companies.
“Thousands of people place orders every day, and no seller has been caught,” Chao quoted a seller as allegedly saying.
Customs officers should easily be able to discern seeds and plants from “decorations” as they appear orange in X-ray scanners, he said.
He proposed using dogs, which were helpful in detecting African swine fever, to identify illegal plants.
He also asked how the products already being imported can be traced.
Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Deputy Director-General Chou Hui-chuan (鄒慧娟) said that seeds should be registered and pass inspection before being imported.
The agency would investigate and handle reports of any seeds of unknown origins entering the country and ask that Facebook sales be halted, Chou said.
FDA Deputy Director Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said that food advertisements must not include misinformation or exaggerations, or claims to have curative effects.
People who make false advertising claims can face a fine of NT$40,000 to NT$4 million (US$1,355 to US$135,474), while those who claim food products have curative effects could face a fine ranging from NT$600,000 to NT$5 million, he said.
Although seeds are not fruit, the same penalties apply to fruit that grow from the seeds, he added.
Customs Administration Deputy Director-General Su Shu-chen (蘇淑貞) said that abnormalities detected in imported goods are examined at customs, adding that seeds and plants are sent to the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine for further inspection.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS