Indian spices stopped at border for containing toxic dye

Taipei, Sept. 3 (CNA) Two shipments of mixed spices imported from India have been rejected at Taiwan's border for containing Sudan I, a banned toxic dye, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Tuesday.

The two batches have all been destroyed according to related regulations and have not entered the Taiwanese market, the TFDA said.

As the toxic substance has continuously been found in products like spices and chili powder imported from China and India, spices and seasoning imports from these countries will be subject to batch-by-batch inspections, the TFDA said.

The strictest inspection standards will continue until March 2025 for China and August 2025 for India.

Meanwhile, an import of "Horseradish White Prepared X Hot" from the U.S. has also been rejected for containing 0.034 grams/kilograms of sulfur dioxide, a bleach with a legal detection limit of 0.030 g/kg, the TFDA said.

Condiments from the U.S. are currently subject to a 100 percent inspection rate due to continuous violations of Taiwan's food safety laws.

The blanket inspections are set to continue until Feb. 11, 2025.

According to statistics compiled by the TFDA, a total of 351 batches of condiments from the U.S. have been sampled between Feb. 26 and Aug. 26, with 14 batches -- about 4 percent -- found to be substandard.

Also disclosed in the list of products seized at the border were 13 other items, including produce and kitchenware from Vietnam, kitchenware and spices from China, aquatic products from Japan, fresh produce from France and spices from Turkey.

The items were intercepted for excessive pesticide residues, heavy metals or failing to pass dissolution tests, according to the TFDA.