Shipments of dried squid purchased by Muji and crushed red peppers imported by Costco were recently blocked at the border after being found to contain excessive additive and pesticide residues, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today.
A total of 6.6kg of dried squid imported from Japan was found to contain 20g/kg of phosphate, exceeding the legal limit of 3g/kg, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA's Northern Center for Regional Administration.
Photo courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration
Phosphate is often used as a food additive in processed and pre-packed foods to improve shelf life, stability and texture.
The dried squid would be returned or destroyed in accordance with regulations, Cheng added.
Meanwhile, 305.64kg of Kirkland Signature brand crushed red pepper imported from India was found to contain 0.6 parts per million (ppm) of fluopyram, a type of pesticide commonly used to control fungal diseases such as gray mold.
The amount of fluopyram exceeded the legal limit of 0.4ppm, Cheng said, adding that the batch would also be returned or destroyed in accordance with regulations.
Both Muji and Costco face an increased inspection rate of 20 to 50 percent at the border for dried squid and crushed red pepper respectively, up from routine random checks of 2 to 10 percent, Cheng said.
The FDA today also announced 14 other products that recently failed safety inspections, including fresh melons from Japan and two batches of black pepper from Vietnam, which were found to contain Sudan 4, a banned toxic dye, and excessive pesticide residues.
Between Feb. 11 and Monday last week, a total of 52 batches of black pepper from Vietnam were inspected, of which five failed, representing a failure rate of 9.6 percent, Cheng said, adding that the issues all related to the detection of Sudan dyes and pesticide residues.
The FDA has since April imposed a 100 percent safety inspection on all imported Vietnamese black pepper, Cheng said.
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