Aflatoxins were found in three peanut powder products during inspections on peanut and nut products, the Consumers’ Foundation said yesterday and while the contamination levels did not exceed permittable limits, the foundation urged retailers and consumers to store peanut products properly to prevent risk of cancer from cumulative exposures to aflatoxin.
The foundation said 15 randomly sampled items — eight peanut products, three pistachio and fig products, and a cooked water chestnut — purchased from retailers and night market stalls in Taipei and New Taipei City and e-commerce platforms in July were inspected for labeling and tested for aflatoxins.
Aflatoxins are deadly toxins produced by fungi that grow naturally in food crops and feed, and are a potent carcinogen to the liver.
Photo courtesy of the Consumers’ Foundation via CNA
The foundation said among the 15 items, a peanut butter purchased from an e-commerce platform did not have the manufacturer’s company name and contact information on its package label, which violates the labeling requirements.
Three peanut powder items tested positive for aflatoxins B2, G1 and G2, with total volumes between 0.2mcg and 1.2kg, not exceeding the permissible limits regulated by the Sanitation Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food (食品中污染物質及毒素衛生標準), the foundation said, adding that no aflatoxin B1 was detected.
It said although the total aflatoxin levels in the three peanut powder items met the regulation standards, all exposures have a cumulative effect and can be harmful to health in the long run.
As peanut powder is used in many food items, such as unfried spring rolls, guabao (割包) steamed buns, sweet mochi (麻糬), zongzi (粽子, glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo) and pig’s blood cake (豬血糕), consumers should be careful in choosing these food items, it added.
The foundation said aflatoxins are often found in crop foods, nuts, beans and herbal medicines. It suggests that consumers buy such products when sold in vacuum packaging, to check for changes in food appearance, such as color or texture, before buying and to buy them in small packages to ensure they are consumed when fresh.
Consumers should read the food labels, as not all food items need to be stored in the refrigerator and try to consume them as fast as possible while they are fresh, it said, adding that food should also be put in sealed containers or proper packages when stored in a refrigerator.
In addition, the foundation said retailers should store food in proper environments to prevent aflatoxins and also to include the storage method instructions on the label for consumers to follow.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS