The WHO has set a tolerable daily intake (TDI) standard for melamine at 0.2 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, which the Department of Health (DOH) said it would take into consideration when establishing a TDI suitable for Taiwanese.
“Melamine is a contaminant that should not be in food. However, sometimes it is unavoidable,” international experts said at a meeting in Ottawa, Canada, from last Monday to Thursday.
Based on this standard, a person weighting 50kg can tolerate 10mg of melamine per day, the WHO said.
It was the first time the WHO had announced tolerable levels for melamine, a toxic industrial chemical that may cause kidney stones and other kidney disease.
Currently, baby formula, milk powder and creamers in Taiwan must test negative for melamine when screened by highly sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass (LC/MS/MS) spectrometers that can detect the presence of as little as 0.05 parts per million of melamine in a substance.
The DOH has not established a TDI for Taiwan.
“The WHO’s suggestion [of a melamine TDI] is important for us. But to set up a TDI in Taiwan, we need to take into consideration the eating habits of Taiwanese ... and the quantity of food consumption,” DOH spokesman Wang Je-chau (王哲超) said.
The WHO said that the TDI is meant to help national authorities set safe limits in food for withdrawal purposes should melamine be detected as a result of intentional adulteration.
“We expect this could better guide the authorities in protecting the health of their public,” said Jorgen Schlundt, WHO director for food safety.
The WHO Expert Meeting to review toxicological aspects of melamine and cyanuric acid was attended by 21 international experts, including Kang Jaw-jou (康照洲), professor at National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of Toxicology.
Milk products imported from China caused serious panic in Taiwan beginning in September, as many foods — including pre-mixed beverages, biscuits and creamers — were found to be contaminated with melamine. The DOH has announced overall bans on the import of Chinese milk powder, vegetable-based proteins, ammonium bicarbonate —a leavening agent — and protein powder.
At present, at least 19 local food ingredient importers and companies have announced they plan to demand compensation from China.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS