A batch of chanterelle mushrooms from Lithuania was found to contain traces of radioactive residue exceeding the legal limit and was rejected at the border, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
The batch of mushrooms was found to contain 140.1 becquerels per kilogram of cesium-137, but the legal limit is 100 becquerels per kilogram, the FDA said.
The presence of cesium-137 was due to artificial contamination, indicating pollution in the area in which the mushrooms were cultivated, FDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said in a telephone interview.
Photo Courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration
Although this was the first time chanterelle mushrooms from Lithuania have not complied with import regulations, the FDA would use the strictest methods when monitoring and inspecting imports of chanterelle mushrooms from the country, the agency said.
The same would also apply to chanterelle mushrooms from France, which twice last year failed to comply with the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法), the agency added.
Meanwhile, two batches of seasoning and condiments imported from the US, including a sirloin seasoning and Classico Italian Sausage sauce, were rejected for containing ethylene oxide, a carcinogenic substance that is banned in Taiwan, the FDA said.
Overall, 10 batches of seasoning and condiments from the US have failed to comply with Taiwanese import laws over the past six months, it said.
The FDA said that on Tuesday last week it asked US authorities to explain the failures and propose ways to improve by Sept. 5.
Such imports from the US are now subject to more through inspections, the FDA said.
Eleven other items were seized at the border, including oranges from Japan, Acerola cherry extract from China, and Danji cucumber slices from South Korea, as they failed to meet standards for reasons including excessive pesticide residue or the presence of additives, it added.
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