Wed, Jun 21, 2023 page3

• Taiwan News Quick Take

  • Staff writer, with CNA
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  FOOD

  Six treated over mushrooms

  Six people in Hualien County sought emergency treatment after eating poisonous mushrooms they misidentified as an edible variety, local health authorities said. The Hualien County Health Bureau said that it received a report from a hospital on Saturday about six people who had cooked and eaten wild mushrooms they found growing on the banks of the Siuguluan River (秀姑巒溪) in Yuli Township (玉里). All six developed symptoms including nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea, for which they were treated in an area emergency room before being discharged, the bureau said. The six had consumed false parasol mushrooms, which are Taiwan’s most frequently eaten poisonous mushroom, because of their resemblance to edible termite mushrooms, it said. Within one to three hours of consumption, false parasol mushrooms can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, such as vomiting, stomach pain and bloody stool, which are often severe, but almost never fatal. The bureau warned the public against foraging for mushrooms if they cannot accurately identify them.

  CULTURE

  Film director passes away

  Taiwanese film director, scriptwriter and producer Yu Wei-yen (余為彥) passed away yesterday at the age of 71, the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute said. Throughout his years in the movie industry, Yu was involved in different areas of filmmaking, and accumulated many noteworthy awards for his directorial and production work, the institute said. The 1993 horror film Moonlight Boy (月光少年), which he directed, was screened in competition at the Venice International Film Critics’ Week and received the Best Screenplay Award at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival in 1994. The movie tells the story of a young boy who falls into a vegetative state following an accident, while his tormented soul wanders between heaven and hell seeking the reason for his death. Yu was also known for producing the 1991 teen crime drama film A Brighter Summer Day (嶺街少年殺人事件), which was directed by late Taiwanese director Edward Yang (楊德昌). The film went on to win Best Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay at the 28th Golden Horse Awards in 1991, while Yu was also nominated for Best Makeup and Costume Design, and Best Art Direction.

  TRADE

  Tumbler shipment seized

  A batch of 30 China-made reusable tumblers imported by Coupang Taiwan Co have been seized by customs officials after failing to pass a dissolution test, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. It is the second consecutive week that Coupang Taiwan has been listed for substandard imports on a weekly list published every Tuesday, the FDA said. The tumblers were subjected to a dissolution test and found to have an evaporation residue of 113 parts per million (ppm), far higher than Taiwan’s maximum of 30ppm, prompting the FDA to raise the random inspection rate on the product from 20 percent to 50 percent, it said. Last week, a shipment of foldable strainers imported from China by the South Korea-based e-retailer was seized at the border, it said. A shipment of frozen silver sprats imported by Maw Shing Top Co from the Philippines and a batch of dried cut wakame imported by Land Young Foods Co from China were also found to contain excessive levels of heavy metal. Among the 15 types of substandard imported products listed by the FDA on this week’s list were fenugreek leaf from India, fresh snap peas from Vietnam and cherry blossom extracts from Japan.
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