No cimbuterol found in additional tests of pork products: Cabinet

Taipei, Feb. 10 (CNA) Additional tests of a type of frozen pork supplied in Taiwan have been conducted, and no traces of the banned leanness-enhancing additive cimbuterol were found, the Cabinet said in a statement Saturday.

A total of 80 samples of frozen pork examined Friday showed no signs of the substance, bringing the total number of pork samples found to be cimbuterol-free since a positive result for one sample was obtained in mid-January to 705.

The sample from state-owned Taiwan Sugar Co. (Taisugar) that tested positive was obtained from a General Welfare Service store in Taichung on Jan. 15, and the meat, labeled as "Pork Boston Butt, Sliced" was found to contain 0.002 parts per million of cimbuterol, the Taichung Health Bureau said in a news release on Feb. 2.

The tested meat had an expiration date of June 10, 2024, it said, noting that the pork was processed by Pingtung-based Sings Kout Trading Co., with its production overseen by Taisugar.

The supermarket chain PX Mart and General Welfare Service stores in Taichung that were selling the sliced meat were ordered to remove it from their shelves, the bureau said.

According to the Cabinet, the 705 samples covered goods produced before and after the problematic case, clearing the domestic pork supply chain of risk as no traces of the banned additive were found in seven packs that came from the same batch as the contaminated sample.

Taisugar plans to submit the sliced meat that was removed from store shelves for testing, the Cabinet said, while vowing to track down the source of the banned additive and implement stricter tests of the products.