Cimbuterol found in contaminated pork retest: TFDA

Taipei, Feb. 7 (CNA) The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) announced on Wednesday that 0.001 parts per million of cimbuterol had been detected in the same pack of pork previously found to contain the banned additive during tests conducted by Taichung Health Bureau.

TFDA's Director-General Wu Show-mei (吳秀梅) told the press on Wednesday that the TFDA on Monday had received a sample from the same pack as the contaminated pork sent by the Taichung Health Bureau, after Taiwan Sugar Corp. (Taisugar) applied for a retest.

The TFDA conducted tests on the sample and confirmed the presence of cimbuterol, a leanness-enhancing additive banned in Taiwan, Wu said.

In three separate tests on the pork sample sent by the Taichung Health Bureau, the levels of cimbuterol were found to be 0.0013, 0.0014, and 0.0014 parts per million, rounded to 0.001 parts per million, Wu stated.

Wu reaffirmed that cimbuterol had only been found in one pack of all the pork products that had undergone testing and that because the concentration of the prohibited additive was so low, it was safe to consume the meat over the Lunar New Year.

Data provided by the TFDA showed that government authorities at both central and city levels tested 70 other packs of pork between Feb. 2-6. No trace has been found in 41 of those packs, which includes three taken from the same batch as the contaminated pork, while 29 others are still undergoing testing.

Health Minister Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said any doubts regarding laboratory equipment or standard operating procedure errors could now be eliminated, and that further investigation into the matter is expected to be carried out by experts after the Lunar New Year holiday.

On the same day, the Taichung city government held a press conference and stated that another retest done on Tuesday by the Taichung Health Bureau's Office of Food and Drug Safety on samples from the same pack as the contaminated pork showed the presence of 0.002 parts per million of the prohibited additive.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) announced in a press conference on Wednesday that no cimbuterol had been detected during its tests on samples of hair, serum, and feed from Taisugar pig farms.

The MOA added that none of the pork from its expanded sampling of nationwide meat markets had been found to contain the banned additive.

Update

Feb. 7: TFDA to double checks after banned additive found in Taisugar pork

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