Chinese chili powder seized at Taiwan border over pesticide residues

Taipei, Aug. 13 (CNA) Two shipments of chili powder totaling 1,000 kilograms imported by a Taiwan-based restaurant group from China were recently intercepted at Taiwan's border due to the presence of pesticide residue, Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Tuesday.

The Chinese chili powder shipments imported by Tofu Restaurant Co. were all found to contain chlormequat -- a pesticide that can be used as a plant growth regulator -- at concentrations ranging from 0.22 to 0.28 parts per million (ppm), exceeding the nondetectable limit, TFDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said.

According to information provided by the TFDA, the goods seized from the two shipments were of the same brand, "Dkore Coarse Chilli Pepper Power" and imported from the Chinese company Gansu Yasheng International Trade Co., Ltd.

In addition, 12 other items were also seized at the border for failing tests, including a shipment of chicken spices imported from Singapore by New Taipei-based Kanaya Foods Co. that contained excessive pesticide residue.

As it was the first time the company has violated the regulations in the past six months, shipments of products imported by Kanaya Foods will be subject to random inspections at the border at an increased rate of 20 to 50 percent from the original 2 to 10 percent, Lin added.

All 14 shipments that failed border tests were either returned to their country of origin or destroyed, according to the administration.

After the presence of Sudan dyes -- red synthetic chemical dyes banned in Taiwan for use in foodstuffs -- in imported chili powder triggered health concerns in Taiwan in January, the dyes continued to be detected in chili powder imported from China and India, Lin said.

He added that this prompted the TFDA to conduct shipment-by-shipment surveillance inspections of spices and seasonings from those two countries, while the inspection rate of similar items from other countries will return to normal random inspections.

If chili powder products are found to contain carcinogenic Sudan dyes at the border, they will be destroyed. Those found to contain excessive pesticide residue will either be returned to their country of origin or destroyed, Lin said.