Manufacturers and importers would face a “permanent importer ban” if their food products contain traces of Sudan red, a class of carcinogenic dye outlawed for use in food in Taiwan, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
The policy is being implemented in conjunction with a plan to destroy imports of food products that contain the substance instead of returning the shipment to the manufacturer, FDA Director-General Wu Shou-mei (吳秀梅) told a news conference in Taipei.
The announcement came after the FDA on Feb. 21 issued a three-month ban on manufacturers and importers of chili powder containing Sudan III.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
The FDA has been testing every shipment of chili powder from China since Dec. 11 last year, resulting in the removal of more than 205 tonnes of products containing Sudan red as of Tuesday, Wu said.
The destruction of food products found to contain Sudan red could begin as early as next week, but the FDA must obtain authorization from a panel of experts to promulgate the measure, she said.
The new guidelines are aimed at preventing Chinese manufacturers from placing new labeling on contaminated products and exporting them to Taiwan again, she said.
A company is being investigated on suspicion of using names of multiple companies based in Kaoshiung to import returned shipments of chili power in the hopes of passing an inspection, Wu said.
When asked, Wu said the FDA acknowledges, but might reject a proposal to permanently ban manufacturers and importers of products that contain any one of the 57 harmful substances listed by the Ministry of Environment.
The indefinite import ban is meant to penalize entities that maliciously include harmful substances in their products and not exporters based in countries with different food safety standards from Taiwan, she said.
For example, the penalties do not apply to fruits and vegetables containing more pesticide residue than is allowed in Taiwan, but are below the safety limit stipulated by their country of origin, Wu said.
Sudan red is listed by the ministry’s Toxic and Chemical Substances Bureau as toxic and are categorized by the WHO as a Group II carcinogen.
The family of dyes is typically used as an industrial coloring agent, with Sudan I, II, III and IV being the most common.
Meanwhile, the Kaohsiung District Court ordered that a leading suspect accused of importing Sudan III-tainted chili powder be held incommunicado, reversing an earlier release.
Kaohsiung prosecutors on Tuesday issued a new arrest warrant for businessman Lee Yen-ting (李彥廷), alleging he went missing after posting bail.
Police found him later that afternoon, but Lee, 47, said the arrest was illegal.
At 10pm, he was released by order of the Kaohsiung branch of the High Court, as police had failed to present the original warrant during his arrest, instead showing him a photograph on a phone.
However, the Kaohsiung District Court in yesterday morning’s hearing ordered that he be detained after determining that he presented a flight risk and could tamper with evidence.
Lee, through his lawyer, vowed to appeal.
Lee, his sister-in-law, surnamed Wu (吳), and an employee surnamed Hsieh (謝) were arrested on Saturday, but were released on bail of NT$800,000, NT$200,000 and NT$200,000 respectively.
They are accused of importing chili powder with traces of Sudan III through 10 companies in Taiwan and one in China using friends’ and relatives’ names.
The 10 companies were found to have been importing products containing Sudan III since 2018, prosecutors said.
Additional reporting by Kayleigh Madjar
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