New Taipei importer of tainted Chinese chili powder detained

Taipei, March 2 (CNA) The head of a New Taipei company which imported chili powder from China later found to contain a carcinogenic dye was taken into custody on Saturday, prosecutors said.

The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office took the action after conducting a search of the premises of Bao Hsin Enterprises Co. the previous day and bringing in five members of the company's management for questioning.

The result of subsequent interrogations saw four of the five individuals released, with prosecutors asking New Taipei District Court for approval to hold the person in charge of the company, Liu Ching-shih (劉慶士), incommunicado.

Prosecutors said in addition to suspicions the company violated the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, Liu is also believed to have engaged in fraud and could therefore try to collude, tamper with witness testimony or destroy evidence if released.

On Saturday, prosecutors said the court green-lit the request, officially detaining the company head.

Bao Hsin Enterprises supplied chili powder containing Sudan III, an industrial dye that is not allowed to be used for food processing in Taiwan, to at least seven food companies.

Sudan dyes are a group of industrial dyes consisting of several red colors -- including Sudan I, II, III, and IV -- which are listed as toxic chemical substances by the Ministry of Environment's Chemicals Administration.

The case came to light when the Yunlin Public Health Bureau said on Feb. 8 that it had found the red chili powder used by a company in the county's jurisdiction to contain 18 parts per billion (ppb) of Sudan III on Jan. 30.

According to New Taipei's Department of Health on Friday, Bao Hsin has imported 16 batches of chili powder from Sanhe Drug Co. in China's Henan Province since October 2023.

Of the imported products, seven batches failed department examinations while two passed, with the remaining seven still being tested, the department said.