Three sauce products imported from the US were ordered destroyed or returned after they tested positive for ethylene oxide, a pesticide banned in Taiwan, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
The FDA yesterday released its latest list of imported food-related items that failed border inspections.
Among the 15 items, three were sauces from the US — A.1. Steak Sauce produced by International Gourmet Specialties Co, as well as Briannas Smoked Chipotle Marinade and Briannas French Vinaigrette Dressing produced by Del Sol Food Co, FDA data showed.
Photo courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration
The three sauces tested positive for ethylene oxide, with concentration levels ranging from 0.3mg/kg to 1.2mg/kg.
FDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said that ethylene oxide is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen — carcinogenic to humans — by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and is banned in food products in Taiwan.
The regulatory standard is set at 0.1mg/kg, which is the substance’s limit of detection, or the smallest concentration that can be reliably measured, Lin said.
Ethylene oxide is permitted for use as a fumigant pesticide in the US, although there are discussions about prohibiting it in food production, he said, adding that it is likely the substance got into the product through their dried spice ingredients.
The three batches — 122.47kg of the steak sauce, 255.6kg of the marinade and 319.5kg of the dressing, would be returned to the US or destroyed, while the inspection frequency on US sauce products imported by the two companies would be increased to “batch-by-batch,” Lin said.
He added that 409 batches of US sauces were selected for border inspection between Dec. 3 last year and Monday last week, with eight testing positive for ethylene oxide, which meant that the inspection rate of US sauces was increased by 20 percent to 50 percent for the six-month period until July 7.
The FDA’s list also included a batch of Hathi Cumin Seeds produced by Gandhi Spices Pvt and imported from India that was found to have 20 types of pesticide either exceeding the maximum residue limits (MRL) or prohibited outright.
The banned items included ethylene oxide, tricyclazole, ethion and fluxapyroxad, Lin said, adding that batch-by-batch inspections would be conducted on products from the firm.
A batch of dried Sichuan pepper from China was found to have imidacloprid, a pesticide, in excess of its MRL and chlorpyrifos, another pesticide, which is banned in Taiwan, he said.
Lin said that 14,900kg of the Sichuan pepper would be returned or destroyed.
The FDA has been inspecting all imports of Sichuan pepper on a batch-by-batch basis since April 18 and would continue to do so until at least July 17 next year, he added.
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