The Control Yuan issued a formal reprimand to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday for lapses in border inspection procedures that resulted in contaminated chili powder slipping into the country over the past few years.
Six food companies imported 28 batches of chili powder containing Sudan dyes between 2022 and February last year, the Control Yuan said, adding that authorities traced the shipments and removed more than 700 tonnes of contaminated products.
The case that triggered the food safety furor was the discovery of Sudan dyes in a chili powder product made by Chiseng Hong Ltd at its plant in Yunlin County.
Photo: Chang Tsung-chiu, Taipei Times
The raw ingredient had been imported by Bao Hsin Enterprises Co in New Taipei City from Sanhe Pharmaceutical Co in Henan Province, China.
Control Yuan members Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) and Tsai Chung-yi (蔡崇義) said that although the FDA had received international alerts about Sudan dyes before 2023, most of the contaminated shipments were not adequately inspected.
The FDA yesterday announced three new measures to prevent such inspection failures from recurring.
The first measure would require imported chili powder and dried chilis to be accompanied by certification that the goods are free of Sudan dyes, the FDA said.
If the dyes are detected at the border, imports from that overseas manufacturer would be suspended, it said.
The second measure mandates the destruction of any contaminated products and the implementation of 100 percent batch-by-batch inspections on the same products from the same country for one year.
The third measure would place all importers and affiliated companies found contravening Sudan dye rules under intensified monitoring for six months, regardless of the product’s origin.
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