About 1,228 tonnes of spring wheat imported from the US have been seized at the Taiwan border after the product was found to contain excessive levels of a harmful fungal toxin known to cause kidney damage, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today.
The shipment, imported by 10 local companies from the same US manufacturer early last month, was found to contain 7 micrograms of ochratoxin A per kilogram — exceeding the legal limit of 5 micrograms per kilogram, the FDA said, adding that it has issued an order for all of the contaminated wheat to be returned or destroyed.
Ochratoxin A can impair kidney function and may also cause acute renal failure or kidney tissue damage if consumed in high amounts, the agency said.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
Liu Fang-ming (劉芳銘), director of the FDA’s Northern Taiwan Management Center, said the wheat arrived in bulk on a cargo vessel and was stored in four separate holds.
Although only one hold tested above the legal limit for ochratoxin A, the entire shipment was rejected as inspectors could not determine which importer had purchased the contaminated batch, Liu said.
The 10 importers, all first-time offenders, would now be subject to stricter inspections, with the random inspection rate raised from 20 percent to 50 percent for their future shipments, Liu said.
Other rejected products in the latest inspection list included fresh durian from Vietnam and frozen grouper fillets from the Philippines, which tested positive for excessive pesticide and heavy metal residues respectively, the FDA said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
RSS