A well-known Taiwanese brand of peanut butter has been found to contain excessive amounts of aflatoxins, according to the results of mycotoxin tests on commercial food products released by Taipei’s Department of Health yesterday.
A sample of Hsinchu Fu Yuan peanut butter, one of 30 peanut food products randomly tested for mycotoxins, contained high amounts of aflatoxins — poisonous carcinogens and mutagens produced by certain molds, the department said.
The tests on the 30 products were conducted in late April and early May.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Department of Health
The department found the peanut butter contained 4.3 micrograms per kilogram (ug/kg) of the aflatoxin B1, exceeding the 2ug/kg standard, and had 5ug/kg of combined B1, B2, G1, G2 aflatoxins, exceeding the maximum permissible level of 4ug/kg.
Two peanut powders also failed the inspection, the department said.
Fu Yuan apologized for the contaminated product in a statement yesterday, saying it believed the problem stemmed from its peanut supplier and that it had voluntarily recalled the flagged product.
It also pledged to cooperate with all investigations and inspections and strengthen its quality control to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Meanwhile in Taoyuan, one of Fu Yuan’s partner distributors also failed an inspection by the city’s Department of Public Health.
The Taoyuan department yesterday said it initiated an aflatoxins test on Fu Yuan’s peanut butter sold by Taoyuan’s Wang Lii Co after hearing from its Taipei counterpart.
Taipei notified Taoyuan in late May that Hsinchu Fu Yuan peanut butter sold at Carrefour with an expiration date of July 5 had tested positive for excessive aflatoxins.
While Taoyuan attempted to test a sample with a July 5 expiry date sold by Wang Lii, the company no longer had any product with that expiration date available.
A test was then initiated on another Fu Yuan peanut butter batch Wang Lii had in its stock with an Aug. 27 expiration date, and a sample from that batch also tested positive for excessive aflatoxin levels.
Taoyuan’s health department said it issued a correction order to Wang Lii as the aflatoxin results indicated that it had contravened the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法).
Failure to make improvements could lead to a NT$30,000 to NT$3 million (US$1,013 to US$101,264) fine for the company, the department said.
The Taoyuan department said that after all flagged peanut butters were returned to Fu Yuan, another inspection of Wang Lii conducted on July 8 found that its peanut butter met the required standards.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
RSS