An Executive Yuan investigation into the probability of cases like cimbuterol-contaminated meat that was found in Taichung being widespread yesterday concluded that there is minimal risk to the agriculture sector, hog raising, butchering or distribution.
However, the report questioned the accuracy of the Taichung City Government’s test results.
Experts said that the lab’s vault was not properly locked and that the specimen was frozen and thawed three times before being examined.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
They also said that since there was blood on the specimen, it is likely that the packaging of the Taiwan Sugar (Taisugar) product had been damaged before it was opened.
The lab took three samples and conducted 22 repeated tests, which is 10 times more than required and exceeds the standard margin of error, making the results questionable, they added.
The test results showed varying and imbalanced concentrations of cimbuterol in the samples, making them even more questionable, experts said.
After the initial discovery of cimbuterol in packaged pork collar butt last month, the Executive Yuan launched inspections of 921 meat product samples nationwide, with none showing traces of the beta-agonist.
Government data showed that four companies imported 72 batches of cimbuterol over the past two years, but the substance went to 24 different labs, with none going into the agriculture sector or food supply chain.
Separately, Taichung Health Bureau Director Tseng Tzu-chan (曾梓展) told the Taichung City Council that the Executive Yuan’s report was irrelevant.
Tseng said the bureau’s tests were fully compliant with procedural regulations and that the lab was not contaminated.
In response to Taichung City Councilor Wu Chiung-hua’s (吳瓊華) questions, Tseng said that under the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法), the safe of a laboratory should only be locked if a specimen is suspected to contain materials that are toxic to the environment.
Regarding the Executive Yuan’s report of blood on the specimen, Tseng said that blood seepage is normal when meat products are thawed.
Sample testing was conducted in batches, and it is expected that the specimen was not refrigerated between tests, Tseng said, adding that all 22 tests the bureau conducted returned positive for cimbuterol.
INFRASTRUCTURE: Work on the second segment, from Kaohsiung to Pingtung, is expected to begin in 2028 and be completed by 2039, the railway bureau said Planned high-speed rail (HSR) extensions would blanket Taiwan proper in four 90-minute commute blocs to facilitate regional economic and livelihood integration, Railway Bureau Deputy Director-General Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君) said in an interview published yesterday. A project to extend the high-speed rail from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung to Pingtung County’s Lioukuaicuo Township (六塊厝) is the first part of the bureau’s greater plan to expand rail coverage, he told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). The bureau’s long-term plan is to build a loop to circle Taiwan proper that would consist of four sections running from Taipei to Hualien, Hualien to
The Civil Aviation Administration yesterday said that it is considering punishments for China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines for making hard landings and overworking their cabin crew when the nation was hit by Typhoon Kong-rey in October last year. The civil aviation authority launched an investigation after media reported that many airlines were forced to divert their flights to different airports or go around after failing to land when the typhoon affected the nation on Oct. 30 and 31 last year. The agency reviewed 503 flights dispatched by Taiwanese airlines during those two days, as well as weather data, flight hours
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Three people have had their citizenship revoked after authorities confirmed that they hold Chinese ID cards, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said yesterday. Two of the three people were featured in a recent video about Beijing’s “united front” tactics by YouTuber Pa Chiung (八炯) and Taiwanese rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源), including Su Shi-en (蘇士恩), who displayed a Chinese ID card in the video, and taekwondo athlete Lee Tung-hsien (李東憲), who mentioned he had obtained a Chinese ID card in a telephone call with Chen, Liang told the council’s weekly news conference. Lee, who reportedly worked in
RSS