No expired imported eggs were found to have entered the domestic market, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday, adding that it would initiate an inspection of more than 50 liquid egg processing factories in the nation within a week.
Facing a shortage of eggs earlier this year, the Ministry of Agriculture introduced a special egg import program to maintain steady supply at reasonable prices, but it has stirred controversy, including speculation on how local egg importers were decided and whether 54 million expired eggs were properly disposed of.
A case of imported eggs with an incorrect expiration date were recalled last week.
Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Department of Health
Minister of Agriculture Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) on Tuesday apologized for the disturbance caused to the public surrounding the egg import program and in the evening announced that he would resign from his post, but stated that the government was right in initiating the program.
FDA Deputy Director Lin Chin-fu (林金富) yesterday said the agency together with local health departments had inspected shell eggs and their labels at retailers nationwide from Thursday last week to Tuesday.
All 1,533 items passed the inspection, while 50 specimens had been sent for tests for veterinary drug residues, Lin said.
The FDA and the ministry on Tuesday began inspecting egg-washing factories. Among the six factories inspected on the first day, one had imported eggs from Thailand, but no abnormalities were detected at any of the factories, Lin said.
All of the imported eggs were tested batch-by-batch at border inspections, and those that failed the inspection were returned or disposed of, so they did not enter the domestic market, he said, adding that inspections at retailers by local health departments had not found any expired eggs.
INCORRECT EXPIRY DATES
Although there was a case of mislabeled imported eggs (eggs that are to expire late this month were labeled as expiring early next month), they still have a shelf life, so after paying a penalty, the company can still sell the eggs with the correct expiration dates or use them as liquid egg or for food products, Lin said.
The FDA yesterday would have completed an inspection of 13 storage locations, where the Ministry of Agriculture said the expired imported eggs are being stored, he said.
The inspections focused on whether the expired eggs are clearly marked and stored separately, and the refrigerated storage temperature, he said.
Meanwhile, the New Taipei City Department of Health yesterday said a liquid egg company in the city was found to have mixed eggs imported from three nations — Turkey, Brazil and the US — with domestic eggs and falsely labeled the liquid eggs as made in Taiwan between June and last month.
The liquid eggs were sold to three catering companies that service 13 schools, as well as 20 bakeries and other food processing companies in Taoyuan and New Taipei City, New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Liu He-jan (劉和然) said, adding that the eggs were not expired, but mislabeled.
NOT ILLEGAL
Lin said that mixing eggs from different countries of origin as liquid egg is not illegal, but the company must list the nations according to the regulations, from the highest proportion to the lowest proportion.
The FDA would also initiate an inspection of the more than 50 liquid egg processing companies nationwide within the next week and advise them on the correct labeling methods, he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by