U.S. condiments, seasoning rejected at border after carcinogen detected

Taipei, July 23 (CNA) Two types of condiments and a seasoning powder imported from the United States have been stopped at the border for containing a cancer-causing chemical banned in Taiwan, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Tuesday.

The three separate shipments of Old El Paso taco sauce, Sauer Brands' barbecue sauce and rib seasoning from Pizza Blends Inc. were intercepted after sample testing conducted in late May and June detected the presence of ethylene oxide, the TFDA said.

The goods were found to contain 0.1 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) to 2.6 mg/kg of ethylene oxide, the administration said.

It added that all items will be returned to the country of origin or destroyed.

Ethylene oxide has been classified as carcinogenic to humans by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Based on information released by the Ministry of Environment's website, ethylene oxide is a toxic chemical substance that if swallowed or inhaled, could cause skin and severe eye irritation, as well as the risk of cancer, genetic disorder and damage to fertility.

From Jan. 15 to July 15 this year, Taiwan inspected 404 batches of various imported American condiments and seasoning, and 10 failed to meet safety standards, all due to ethylene oxide.

According to the TFDA, the random inspection rate for those U.S. items will be maintained at 20-50 percent until the end of this year.

Meanwhile, 17 other items also failed safety checks, including frozen durian from Thailand and curry powder from India.

Regarding the curry powder shipment, a sample of a 490 kg batch tested positive for Sudan dyes I and IV in May. The whole batch will be destroyed.

Sudan dyes are banned in Taiwan for use in foodstuffs, TFDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said.

The TFDA applied more stringent standards to its tests of chili and spice imports regardless of the place of origin on March 6 due to the discovery of Sudan dyes in Chinese chili powders around Taiwan.

So far, only items coming from China and India have been found to contain the banned dyes, Lin said.

He added that batch-by-batch inspections of spices and seasoning from those two countries will be extended until March 5, 2025, while the inspection rate of similar items from other countries will return to normal.