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
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS