Black pepper recalled in New Taipei due to dye contamination

Taipei, April 28 (CNA) A black pepper product submitted by a New Taipei company for voluntary testing was found to contain a synthetic chemical dye and has been recalled, the city government said Sunday.

The samples, submitted by YOU-CI Co., contained Sudan III and Sudan IV industrial dyes that are banned from use in food products, said the New Taipei City Department of Health, which tested the pepper products.

As a result, that brand of black pepper powder, which is sold mainly to bulk buyers, has been recalled in New Taipei, the department said in a press release.

Samples of the black pepper powder have also been sent to Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration for double-testing, and those findings will be available in about a week, the department said.

Meanwhile, the department said, it has collected ingredient samples from the company's suppliers for testing, to determine whether the contamination with the toxic dyes was in the raw materials or occurred during the production process.

The batch of contaminated black pepper -- about 170 kilograms -- had been distributed in New Taipei, Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung and Kaohsiung cities, and in Yilan, Hsinchu, Changhua, Yunlin, and Pingtung counties, the department said, adding that all the local governments have been informed of the problem.

The local governments in Kaohsiung, Yilan and Yunlin said Sunday that they have recalled the products.

The Taoyuan City Health Department said the batch of contaminated black pepper purchased in the city had already been used or resold and was not on store shelves there.