A shipment of frozen sea urchins imported from Chile by a Japanese restaurant chain has been blocked at the border due to excessive levels of cadmium, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported today.
The 40kg batch, imported by Zensho Taiwan Co, Ltd, which operates Sukiya and Hama Sushi Taiwan, was processed in accordance with regulations, which involves either returning it to Chile or destroying it at the border, the agency said.
The batch was found to contain 0.5 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of cadmium, exceeding the legal limit of 0.3mg/kg for seafood, FDA Acting Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said.
Photo courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration
As a result of this violation, enhanced inspections would be conducted on the company's future shipments, replacing the routine random checks previously applied, Lin told reporters.
However, since only one out of 11 batches of Chilean sea urchins imported over the past six months failed the inspection, no additional restrictions or special regulatory measures would be imposed for Chilean sea urchins at this stage, he said.
The FDA’s weekly report also identified 15 other substandard food products, including Egyptian basil leaves, Indian groundnut kernels and Vietnamese soft peanut candies, which were found to exceed pesticide residue limits or have other safety concerns.
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