Two batches of salsa imported from the US by Taiwan Kaldi Co were returned or destroyed after residue of ethylene oxide, a banned pesticide, was detected in samples, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
A total of 460.8kg of the salsa, including mild and hot varieties, contained 0.1 milligram per kilogram of ethylene oxide, a substance prohibited under Taiwan’s Standards for Pesticide Residue Limits in Foods.
Ethylene oxide is commonly used in pesticides to control fungal and bacterial growth in dry food products. Long-term exposure might cause headaches and cancer, according to the FDA.
Photo courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration
Liu Fang-ming (劉芳銘), director of the FDA’s Northern Taiwan Management Center, said that it was the first noncompliant case by Kaldi in the past six months.
Although products imported by the company had not previously been flagged, Kaldi’s spice and condiment imports are subject to 100 percent sampling through March 24, because the firm is listed as an “affiliated company” of a business previously found to have products containing Sudan dye, a banned industrial dye, the FDA said.
Liu did not name the other firm or provide dates.
Meanwhile, Sudan IV was detected in a 53.76kg batch of assorted pepper imported from Vietnam by Macroscopic Inc, the FDA said, adding that the batch was destroyed at the border.
From June 8 to Monday last week, one previous batch of spices from Vietnam failed an inspection due to the presence of Sudan dye, the FDA said, adding that it would conduct 100 percent inspection of spices from Vietnam at the border through Dec. 7 next year, allowing entry only after compliance with Sudan dye regulations is confirmed.
Other imports that were intercepted at the border for noncompliance with food safety laws included bamboo fungus from China, celery from the US, frozen tripe from Brazil, char kway teow from Thailand and cheese from France, it said.
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