The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has broadened its review of all chili powder products imported before Dec. 11 last year to trace all adulterated products, with five batches currently undergoing laboratory tests, with the results expected by tomorrow.
The agency and local governments have reviewed 59 batches of chili powder for traces of the carcinogenic Sudan Red dyes and 11 were adulterated, FDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said.
Lin said that the FDA could not guarantee after reviewing 64 batches that the agency had removed all products adulterated by the dyes from the market and would continue to review imported products.
Photo: CNA
The FDA has also set up a special page on its Web site that lists domestic products that use chili powders with the dyes, making all information on the incident transparent.
FDA Northern Center Deputy Director-General Lin Hsu-yang (林旭陽) yesterday said that the agency had found seven contaminated batches of chili powder from Bao Hsin Enterprises Co (保欣企業有限公司) in New Taipei City imported from Sanhe Drug Co (三禾藥業) in China’s Henan Province.
Lin said that there were 24 companies using chili powder from Bao Hsin that have been affected, with a total of 55,696.9kg of products removed from the shelves.
He said the case has been sent to the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office for further investigation.
Gin Zhan International Co Ltd (津棧國際貿易) and Chia Guang International (佳廣國際), both based in Kaoshiung at the same address, had imported eight batches of adulterated chili powder from China-based Kavin Shipping, he said.
He said that companies affected by contaminated chili powders from Gin Zhan and Chia Guang have removed 66,891.5kg of products from the shelves.
That case has been forwarded to the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office, he said.
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