About 40 percent of a 1,000kg shipment of small yellow croaker imported from China containing the banned veterinary drug enrofloxacin has successfully been recalled, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
The shipment has been fully distributed to retail outlets around Taiwan, the FDA said.
Photo courtesy of Food and Drug Administration
Recall efforts were continuing, the agency said, but it was unclear how much of the shipment has been sold to end consumers.
Only the small yellow croaker from China tested positive out of 453 samples of poultry, livestock and aquatic products tested for drug residues by health authorities in March and April, the FDA said.
The batch was imported by A-Quan Frozen Aquatic Products Co in Tainan.
City authorities have fined the company NT$240,000 for contravening the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法), it said.
In Taiwan, the veterinary drug is approved for use in cattle, pigs and poultry, but not in aquatic products, FDA Central Center for Regional Administration Director Chen Tzu-ling (陳姿伶) said by phone.
In summer last year, a batch of frozen large yellow croaker imported from China by the same Tainan company also tested positive for enrofloxacin, Chen said.
Because this was the company's second violation within a year, the base fine was raised to NT$120,000, according to regulations, and the company's failure to conduct self-inspections as required only increased the fine further, to a total of NT$240,000, Chen said.
As a result of the recent non-compliance case, small yellow croaker imported from China would now be subject to a 20 to 50 percent inspection rate at the border, rather than the standard 2 to 10 percent, Chen said.
Enrofloxacin is a synthetic antibacterial agent. Excessive consumption may cause gastrointestinal discomfort and, in severe cases, could potentially impair kidney function, the FDA said.
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