Overall residual cadmium in chocolate is to be limited in line with international standards set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.
A draft amendment to the Sanitation Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food (食品中污染物質及毒素衛生標準) states that the total volume of dried coca solids, or powder, is to determine the residual cadmium amount in chocolate products.
The amendment separates the residual cadmium into five levels, stating that 20 to 30 percent of coca solids can only have 0.3mg/kg of residual cadmium, 30 to 50 percent can have 0.7mg/kg, 50 to 70 percent can have 0.8mg/kg, 70 percent and above can have 0.9mg/kg, and cocoa powder can have 2mg/kg.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
The amendment was proposed citing George Washington University research showing that more than 40 percent of dark chocolate products have been contaminated by lead and cadmium, with some products having more than 6.5 times the permitted amount of residual heavy metals.
The Consumer Foundation inspected dark chocolate products for heavy metal residuals last year. It found that select products exceeded the suggested amount and that the ministry had no standing regulations to curb excess heavy metals in chocolate products.
Food and Drug Administration Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said that the amount of residual cadmium is determined by the species of cocoa beans used, the environment they grew in and the total amount of cocoa solids used.
Lin said that international regulations often use the amount of cocoa solids as the basis for regulatory policies.
As the majority of chocolate products in Taiwan are imported, the agency would solicit opinions and, if necessary, introduce further amendments to uphold food security, he said, adding that there would be a 60-day period, which started yesterday, to gather public and expert opinions.
Provided the draft amendment does not provoke a backlash, it is expected to be promulgated by Jan. 1 next year, Lin said.
All chocolate products in circulation are expected to comply with the new standards upon its promulgation, regardless of manufacturing date, he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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