A banned toxic Sudan red dye was detected in turmeric used in a curry powder sold by a Taiwanese company, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday, while the Ministry of Education informed schools nationwide to temporarily suspend the use of the powder.
The Flying Horse Special Mix Curry Powder produced by Taiwanese company Chiseng Hong Ltd initially tested positive for 7 parts per billion (ppb) of Sudan I on Oct. 25 during a routine inspection by the New Taipei City Department of Health, the FDA said.
Following the initial detection, the agency sought to identify the specific raw ingredient in the product contaminated with Sudan dye, a red synthetic dye that is banned in Taiwan for use in foodstuffs, including types such as Sudan I and Sudan III, FDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) told a news conference in Taipei.
Photo: CNA
The FDA tested one box of the batch of 5,253 600g boxes of curry powder produced by Chiseng Hong, with an expiration date of May 6, 2026, Lin said.
“Nine samples of raw ingredients used to produce this batch of mixed curry powder were also collected for a total of 10 samples submitted to the FDA’s research and analysis unit for testing,” he said.
The unit detected Sudan I in the curry powder at a concentration of 8ppb, while a qualitative analysis of the sample of turmeric powder, one of the nine raw ingredients, also confirmed the presence of Sudan I, he added.
Photo courtesy of Department of Health, Kaohsiung City Government
FDA Northern Center Director Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智) said that the tainted curry powder produced by the Taipei-based Chiseng Hong had been distributed across nine counties and cities, and 1,958 boxes — about 37 percent of the total — have already been recalled.
The Ministry of Education instructed schools across the country to suspend the use of the curry powder until Jan. 20 next year.
That notice follows orders from local education authorities in Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taichung and Taoyuan issuing similar bans, with other cities and counties following suit. Some of those bans extended to all chili and curry powders.
Cheng said the turmeric powder used in Chiseng Hong’s curry powder was imported from India.
Twenty-two businesses in Taiwan have imported turmeric powder from India since 2022, he said, adding that health authorities would immediately initiate a comprehensive inspection of those businesses and the turmeric powder they imported.
In response to the incident, border inspections on turmeric powder imported from India would be subject to batch-by-batch inspection for Sudan dyes for one year starting from Tuesday, he said.
“Any Sudan dye detected at the border will result in the product being destroyed, without the option for return shipment,” Cheng added.
The incident involving Chiseng Hong’s curry powder followed a similar incident earlier this year, in which Sudan III was found in chili powder imported from China.
That prompted the FDA to implement batch-by-batch inspections on imported spices and sauces, including chili powders, from all countries beginning in early March.
Lin said that the tainted batch of turmeric powder was imported from India before the enhanced border inspections were implemented early this year.
“Therefore, our current border control measures remain effective,” he said.
However, the FDA later said that prior to Tuesday, 35 types of imported spices and sauces had been subject to batch-by-batch border inspections to screen for banned dyes and pesticides, but turmeric powder was not included.
None of the 35 types of spices and sauces subject to batch-by- batch inspections since March — including cumin, black pepper and chili powder, all ingredients in the mixed curry powder — tested positive for Sudan dyes, the FDA said.
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