The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said a random inspection uncovered six types of tea with excessive levels of pesticide residues.
The department conducted the inspection of tea-leaf and floral tea products sold at supermarkets, retailers, tea shops and beverage shops in the city, testing them for pesticide residues, Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) said.
Of the 50 items tested — including 26 tea-leaf products and 24 floral tea products — six failed, or 12 percent, Lin said.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Department of Health
The failed products include two rose tea products, two lavender tea products, and one of each blue tea (Clitoria ternatea, also known as butterfly pea tea) and an osmanthus tea product, she said.
They were each found to have one to seven types of pesticides at residue levels exceeding the Standards for Pesticide Residue Limits in Foods (農藥殘留容許量標準), she said.
The blue tea product was imported as “personal use” and the importer did not apply to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for inspection of imported foods and related products according to the law, Lin said.
The department has asked the retailers to remove the products from shelves and prohibited them from selling the tea, she said.
As one of the rose teas and the osmanthus tea were supplied from other cities or counties, their local health departments have been informed, while the sources of the remaining products are in Taipei and would be dealt with according to the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法), she said.
The blue tea product was found to contain residues of pesticides including cypermethrin, fipronil, fipronil sulfone, imidacloprid, metalaxyl, pyridaben and lambda-cyhalothrin, all exceeding their maximum allowable limits, department data showed.
Products that were found with excessive levels of pesticide residues could face a fine of NT$60,000 to NT$200 million (US$1,848 to US$6.2 million), while importing food products and selling them without applying for FDA inspection can result in a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$3 million, Lin said.
The department urges tea importers to develop a food safety monitoring plan, including enhancing self-initiated inspections by sending ingredients, semi-finished products and final products for regular examination, she said, adding that retailers should keep products’ certificates of origin for better traceability.
Consumers can report food safety issues to the city’s 1999 hotline (or call (02) 2720-8889 if outside Taipei), the department said.
Inspection results are available on its official Web site.
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