Eho Co is to face a NT$5 million (US$159,083) fine for importing raw materials for cosmetics containing banned Sudan red dyes, as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday vowed to take strong action against the Taiwanese importer within the week.
Taiwan recently detected the banned dyes in cosmetics for the first time, tracing them to raw materials supplied by Singapore-based Campo Research Pte Ltd.
So far, 20 products from 12 different businesses have been found to contain the dyes and must be removed from the market.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
The FDA previously announced 18 contaminated products, and yesterday announced two more, both face masks from Maxgut Biochemical Co.
Under Articles 6 and 22 of the Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act (化妝品衛生安全管理法), using banned Sudan IV dyes can result in fines ranging from NT$20,000 to NT$5 million and may be subject to repeated penalties, the FDA said.
FDA Deputy Director-General Wang Der-yuan (王德原) said he cannot guarantee whether there would be more contaminated products, as the factory produces a wide range of items and health departments can only inspect them one at a time.
To avoid similar incidents, the FDA is considering including Sudan red dyes in post-market inspections, Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said today.
The FDA took the initiative to investigate this time after receiving news from abroad, Shih said.
Preventing similar incidents would require support from the central government, as there is a lack of testing technology, the minister said.
Future border testing of cosmetic raw materials requires careful consideration, as cosmetic regulations are largely similar across the globe, he said.
As cosmetics use a wide variety of chemicals, not all of which are used exclusively for cosmetics, most countries focus on process management rather than testing every chemical, he added.
Like most countries, Taiwan has regulations regarding permitted and prohibited raw materials, good manufacturing practice standards and helps businesses strengthen process control, Shih said.
The government is considering how to strengthen post-market monitoring, and Sudan dyes would be included in routine inspections for the foreseeable future, he said.
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