The Kaohsiung Department of Health yesterday said it fined Costco NT$4.5 million (US$146,265) over contaminated frozen strawberries, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that although the US company had filed an improvement plan, an import suspension on frozen berries could remain.
Three types of frozen berry products imported and sold by Costco have tested positive for the hepatitis A virus since April.
The Kaohsiung health department previously fined Costco NT$300,000 for not providing the sales list of a contaminated batch of Kirkland Signature Three Berry Blend imported from Chile, in contravention of the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法). It later fined the company NT$7.5 million over the same batch, for contravening the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法).
Photo: CNA
The health department said that it on Wednesday last week fined Costco NT$4.5 million for a batch of Kirkland Signature Grade A Fancy Strawberries imported from Mexico, which also tested positive for the hepatitis A virus.
FDA Southern Center Director Wei Jen-ting (魏任廷) said the health department imposed the most recent fine after assessing certain factors such as how many products have been imported and sold.
As the hepatitis A virus has been detected on Costco frozen mixed berries, frozen blueberries and frozen strawberries, the FDA had suspended the importation of the products between May 3 and Friday, and it also on May 1 launched an expanded random inspection program to test imported frozen berry products.
As of Tuesday, 77 items had been inspected, with one testing positive and 67 testing negative, while nine were still being tested, FDA Deputy Director Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said.
The FDA ordered Costco to submit an improvement report, explaining the source of contamination and its improvement plan, by midnight last night, he said.
Although Costco submitted the report yesterday, the FDA said that if the company does not clarify and solve the problem, the agency might not approve its inspection applications for imported frozen berries, meaning the import suspension would continue.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS