Japanese strawberries seized for excess pesticides could soon be legal

Taipei, Feb. 6 (CNA) Four shipments of imported Japanese strawberries were recently intercepted at Taiwan's border for excessive pesticide residues, though all had concentration levels that would be legal under revised standards proposed by Taiwan's health authorities last month.

In its weekly report on border seizures, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the four shipments, totaling 240 kilograms, were seized after sample testing on Jan. 13 and Jan. 23 detected residues of the insecticide flonicamid above the legal limit of 0.01 parts per meter (ppm).

The tested samples contained flonicamid at concentrations of 0.07 ppm, 0.12 ppm, 0.04 ppm and 0.51 ppm, the FDA said.

Japanese strawberries were subjected to batch-by-batch border inspections between June 30, 2023 and April 30 this year after repeatedly failing FDA safety inspections, mainly due to excessive amounts of pesticides.

From July 29 last year through Jan. 29, 18 of the 447 strawberry shipments imported from Japan, or 4.03 percent, did not meet Taiwan's safety standards and were confiscated, FDA data shows.

According to the Environmental Protection Administration's Toxic and Chemical Substances Bureau, flonicamid is toxic when ingested or inhaled by humans, and can cause inflammation to the skin and eyes.

It is also a possible carcinogen, and may cause genetic damage and birth defects, according to the bureau.

Last month, however, the FDA announced a proposal to relax restrictions on flonicamid and three other pesticides -- acequinocyl, chlorfenapyr and mefentriflucon azole -- which are commonly used on strawberries in Japan.

The draft proposal, which is currently undergoing a 60-day period for collecting public feedback, was made at the request of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, the South Korean Mission in Taipei, and BASF Taiwan, according to the FDA.

The draft regulations would raise the maximum residue limits from zero to 1.0 ppm for acequinocyl, to 0.5 ppm for chlorfenapyr, to 0.7 ppm for flonicamid, and to 1.5 ppm for mefentriflucon azole.

At the time, FDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said the changes were mainly a matter of different pesticides being required in different environments and geographies, and that Taiwan faces similar issues when it exports pineapples to Japan.

The FDA previously floated the idea of easing restrictions on chlorfenapyr and flonicamid for Japanese strawberries last May, but ultimately backed away from the plans amid public opposition.