The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday said it had detected slight traces of a banned additive in one sample of frozen pork sold by Taiwan Sugar Corp (Taisugar) after retesting.
The FDA and Taichung Health Bureau tested pork samples again for cimbuterol, a leanness-enhancing additive, following doubts about the bureau’s original process.
After the bureau’s initial finding released on Friday last week, the FDA and Council of Agriculture found no issues at the pig farm or packing plant, and other agencies were unable to replicate the result.
Photo courtesy of the Taichung Health Bureau
Three separate tests conducted by the FDA earlier this week found amounts near the limit of 0.001 parts per million (ppm) in one sample, but not others from the same batch, FDA Director Wu Shou-mei (吳秀梅) told a news conference on Wednesday.
Although the additive was found, it was in very small amounts, Wu said, adding that a meeting would be held to discuss potential causes.
The agency is still testing 29 other samples, but so far, cimbuterol has only been found in the one sample, Wu said.
Meanwhile, the Taichung bureau’s new test confirmed its earlier result of 0.002ppm, bureau Director Tseng Tzu-chan (曾梓展) told reporters.
Of the 22 tests conducted by the bureau, 21 found trace amounts of cimbuterol, he said.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
RSS