Chinese dried lotus seeds, chopping boards rejected at Taiwan border

Taipei, Aug. 9 (CNA) Dried lotus seeds and chopping boards from China have been blocked from entering Taiwan for not meeting required safety standards, according to the latest weekly report on standard food imports issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday.

The FDA report showed that 16 types of imported food and kitchenware products from different countries were either rejected or destroyed at the border for not meeting standards and failing tests.

The rejected goods included 5,940 kilograms of dried lotus seeds imported by Hua To Fu Yuan Tang Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. (華陀扶元堂生藥科技) from China in early July, after they were found to contain 109 μg/kg aflatoxin -- nearly 11 times the standard (10 μg/kg).

Chen Ching-yu (陳慶裕), a section manager at the FDA's northern branch, told reporters that it was the first time in six months that Chinese lotus seed products were found to be substandard at the border, adding that the FDA will increase random tests by 20 percent to 50 percent on lotus seeds from this importer.

Also rejected were two versions of a waterproof chopping board imported by E Cha E International Corp. (一加一國際開發) from China, which failed to pass stability tests due to excessive melted resin, Chen said.

All 1,500 sets of the chopping boards have been returned or destroyed, Chen added.