A batch of truffle cheese imported from Italy was recently rejected at the border after testing positive for excessive levels of Escherichia coli (E. Coli), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today.
Five samples from the 2.87kg shipment contained between 23 and 93 most probable number per gram (MPN/g) of E. coli. Under Taiwan's regulations, no more than two out of five samples can contain between 10MPN/g and 100MPN/g of E. coli, while no sample can exceed 100MPN/g, the FDA said.
The shipment would be returned or destroyed, and the importer would be subject to an increased inspection rate of 20 to 50 percent, the agency added.
Photo courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration
Meanwhile, two batches of asparagus from Thailand were found to contain 0.02 parts per million (ppm) of the pesticide propamocarb hydrochloride, exceeding the legal limit of 0.01 ppm, the FDA said.
The two shipments, totaling 730kg, were imported by the same company, and as a result, 100 percent of the company's imports would be subject to inspection, said Liu Fang-ming (劉芳銘), director of the FDA's Northern Taiwan Management Center.
Six out of 1,057 batches of asparagus imported from Thailand between Oct. 6 last year and April 6 failed to meet pesticide residue standards, FDA data showed.
Since Feb. 3, and continuing through May 13, asparagus imports from Thailand have been subject to enhanced inspection rates of 20 to 50 percent, Liu said.
The FDA also listed seven other noncompliant shipments, including banana snacks from Indonesia; nectarines from Chile; dried bamboo fungus and dried chrysanthemum from China; asparagus and frozen passion fruit from Vietnam; and somage, tisane and loose-leaf peppermint from Egypt, saying they had excessive levels of pesticide residue, sweeteners or heavy metals.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
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