The Taipei Department of Health’s latest inspection of fresh fruit and vegetables sold in local markets revealed a 25 percent failure rate, with most contraventions involving excessive pesticide residues, while two durians were also found to contain heavy metal cadmium at levels exceeding safety limits.
Health Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) yesterday said the agency routinely conducts inspections of fresh produce sold at traditional markets, supermarkets, hypermarkets, retail outlets and restaurants, testing for pesticide residues and other harmful substances.
In its most recent inspection, conducted in May, the department randomly collected 52 samples from various locations, with testing showing that 13 items failed to meet safety standards, Lin said.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Department of Health
The failed items included three samples of garlic chive flowers, two each of Thai basil and celery, and one sample each of green garlic, wax apple, cowpea and mango — all of which were found to contain one or more pesticides exceeding legal limits, she said.
Additionally, two durians were found to contain cadmium at levels above the permissible threshold, she added.
Aside from mangoes and durians, the failed items were all classified as high-risk agricultural products, which are more prone to containing excessive pesticide residues, she said.
High-risk agricultural products are identified based on past inspection data from the Food and Drug Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture, and are subject to increased inspection frequency, the department said.
Following the latest inspection, the department has instructed vendors to remove the noncompliant items from shelves and has notified local health departments about the sources of some of the affected products, Lin said.
The department also informed Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Corp (TAPMC) to suspend the supply of the failed fruit or vegetable items from the farmer for 10 days, and that the inspection rate of the failed items would be increased in future inspections.
If the item fails inspection for a second time, the farmer would be suspended from supplying it to TAPMC for a month, and if it fails for the third time, the farmer’s qualification for supplying that item would be revoked, she said.
Meanwhile, as a suspected food poisoning case was reported among 17 members of the Taipei Beitou Junior High School female softball team last week, Lin also urged the public to pay special attention to food safety, especially during the hot summer season, to avoid food poisoning.
People should also check packaging for damage and ensure proper food storage: Refrigerated foods should be kept between 0°C and 7°C, frozen foods below minus-18°C and hot foods above 60°C, and also avoid cross-contamination with raw or undercooked food, Lin said.
Lin advised purchasing food from reputable manufacturers and avoiding consumption of undercooked food and beverages.
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716