All sauces imported from Indonesia are to be subject to batch-by-batch inspections until May 5 next year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
The announcement came after six types of Indonesian sauces were among the latest list of products seized at Taiwan’s borders after failing customs inspections, bringing to 22 the number of batches of Indonesian sauces intercepted from Jan. 1 to Oct. 28.
All six products contained excessive levels of sulfur dioxide, a bleaching agent, FDA Deputy Director Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said, adding that 3,419kg of intercepted imports had been returned or destroyed.
Photo courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration
The FDA has also asked Indonesian authorities for a written description of improvement measures before Nov. 27, Lin said.
CHILI POWDER
A total of 24 types of products — including Dutch marigolds, edible lilies imported from Japan, as well as Chinese and Mexican chili powder — did not pass the latest round of customs inspections and were returned or destroyed, the FDA said.
Two types of Chinese chili powder products were found to contain excessive levels of chlormequat chloride, a pesticide, and Sudan III, a dye that is not allowed in food products, it said.
Ten batches of Chinese chili powder failed customs inspections from Jan. 1 to Oct. 28, Lin said.
The FDA had increased the frequency of random checks on chili powders imported from China since May 22, and would continue doing so until Nov. 21.
Lin said that this was the first time this year chili powder imported from Mexico had failed customs inspections.
The five product types, which were imported by Chale Ltd and manufactured by Mission Laredo Partners, were all found to have excessive levels of pesticides, including chlorpyrifos and ethylene oxide, Lin said.
Effective immediately, the FDA will increase the frequency of random inspections of imported chili powder manufactured by Mission Laredo Partners and products imported by Chale Ltd, Lin said.
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