Nearly 4 tonnes of Chinese mitten crab was stopped at the border after tests found traces of a banned veterinary drug, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
The crab meat, imported by Taoyuan-based Ruiheng International Trade Co, contained 0.04 parts per million of sulfadiazine, which Taiwanese authorities prohibit in crustaceans.
Liu Fang-ming (劉芳銘), director of the FDA’s Northern Taiwan Management Center, told a news conference that the entire 3,915kg shipment has been ordered either returned or destroyed.
Photo courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration
Long-term consumption of seafood contaminated with such substances could lead to antibiotic resistance, making infections harder or impossible to treat, Liu said.
It was the first failed batch among three shipments of Chinese mitten crabs tested this year, he said.
Since 2017, Taiwan has required that all mitten crab shipments from China be tested for drug residues, dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls.
Last year, 31 batches were inspected, with one rejected for excessive dioxin levels.
The shipment of crabs rejected recently was among 11 imported food products, including melons from Japan, fish cakes from Indonesia, radish leaves from China and lettuce from Malaysia, that failed inspections.
A batch of Australian oranges imported by Costco Taiwan tested positive for gibberellin A3, a growth regulator that is banned in citrus fruits.
The 18-tonne shipment was ordered destroyed or returned, Liu said, adding that Costco imports of oranges would face enhanced inspection rates of 20 to 50 percent.
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