In a test of 61 soybean-based products in Taipei City, nearly 20 percent did not meet food safety standards, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday.
Food and Drug Division head Chiang Yu-mei (姜郁美) said that of 61 samples taken from locations around the city in June, 12 were substandard.
Six of the samples contained excessive levels of the food preservative benzoic acid and another six contained hydrogen peroxide, which is banned from use in foods, she said.
Five of the subpar samples came from Huan-nan Market in Wanhua District (萬華). Many soy products sold at Taipei markets are processed at factories in Dasi Township (大溪), Taoyuan County.
Hydrogen peroxide, which is chiefly used to kill bacteria and as a bleaching agent, is harmful if ingested in large amounts. Some of the symptoms of ingesting the chemical include headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and ulcers, Chiang said.
Chiang urged the public to soak and rinse tofu products for at least 20 minutes before eating them to get rid of any hydrogen peroxide they might contain.
Chiang said that although up to 0.6g of benzoic acid per kilogram is allowed in soybean-based products, excessive exposure can cause kidney and liver damage.
Soaking and rinsing tofu is not helpful in removing benzoic acid because it does not dissolve in water, Chiang said. Instead, benzoic acid can be removed by cooking tofu in a covered pot and lifting the lid once the tofu is ready to allow residual benzoic acid to evaporate.
This is also effective for removing hydrogen peroxide, she said.
The department also suggested that consumers choose soy products produced and sold by reputable companies and retail outlets to avoid substandard products.
Anyone who suspects a product does not meet standards can report the matter at (02) 2720-8889.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
China is attempting to subsume Taiwanese culture under Chinese culture by promulgating legislation on preserving documents on ties between the Minnan region and Taiwan, a Taiwanese academic said yesterday. China on Tuesday enforced the Fujian Province Minnan and Taiwan Document Protection Act to counter Taiwanese cultural independence with historical evidence that would root out misleading claims, Chinese-language media outlet Straits Today reported yesterday. The act is “China’s first ad hoc local regulations in the cultural field that involve Taiwan and is a concrete step toward implementing the integrated development demonstration zone,” Fujian Provincial Archives deputy director Ma Jun-fan (馬俊凡) said. The documents