A batch of Jane’s Krazy Mixed-up Salt imported from the US containing a chemical banned in Taiwan was stopped at the border, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
The shipment was intercepted after sample testing conducted in late June detected ethylene oxide, the FDA said.
The salt contained 4.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, it said, adding that the 2.4kg shipment would be returned to its country of origin or destroyed.
Photo courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration
The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified ethylene oxide as carcinogenic to humans, FDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said.
Most countries allow its use to disinfect and sterilize medical devices, with only a few allowing it to be used on dry spices for fumigation and pest control, Lin said.
Ethylene oxide is a toxic substance that can cause skin and eye irritation, and is a risk factor for cancer, genetic disorders and infertility, information on the Ministry of Environment’s Web site showed.
From Jan. 29 to Monday last week, 360 batches of imported condiments and seasoning from the US have been inspected at the border, with 11 failing to meet safety standards, all due to ethylene oxide, a noncompliance rate of 3.1 percent, the FDA said.
The random inspection rate for such items from the US would be maintained at 20 to 50 percent until the end of this year, it said.
The strictest measure of 100 percent batch-by-batch inspections would be implemented if noncompliance in a six-month period involves five or more importers or manufacturers and is higher than in the same period the previous year, Lin said.
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