Taiwan FDA bars imported teas due to chemical residues

Taipei, March 2 (CNA) Several shipments of teas from three countries, including Japan, were recently rejected at Taiwan's borders, because they were found to contain excessive levels of pesticide or herbicide residues, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Tuesday.

The chemicals detected in the teas included the herbicide Clomazone, for which Taiwan has a zero residue policy, the FDA said in a press release.

FDA inspectors found Clomazone residues in a 287-kilogram shipment of chamomile tea made by the Singaporean luxury brand TWG, which was imported from Egypt, according to the release.

TWG Tea is usually sold in department stores and high-end shopping centers in Taiwan.

Among the other teas rejected by the FDA were a 4.32-kg shipment of finely ground green tea and 3.2 kg of genmaicha (green tea and roasted brown rice) from Japan, which were being imported by Taiwan Pan Pacific Retail Management Co. and Sunrise Logistics Co., respectively, the release said.

The FDA said it also barred 7.2 kg of "selected fruit-flavored" black tea from Sri Lanka, imported by Sunrise Logistics.

All of the tea shipments were found to contain excessive levels of pesticide or herbicide, the FDA said.

In addition, the FDA said, it prohibited the importation of two types of Lady's Choice sandwich spreads from the Philippines because they were found to contain high levels of preservatives.

The 1,246 kg of sandwich spreads, which were being imported by ASEAN VIP International Trading Co., and the rejected teas will either be dumped or returned to the suppliers, the FDA said.

FDA division chief Chen Ching-yu (陳慶裕) told reporters that food safety checks had been stepped up at Taiwan's borders since several shipments of tea from Japan over the past few weeks were found to contain high levels of chemical residues.