TFDA confirms Sudan dye found in turmeric from tainted curry powder

Taipei, Nov. 6 (CNA) The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Wednesday that a banned dye, Sudan I, was detected in turmeric in a curry powder.

The curry powder, branded as "Flying Horse Special Mix Curry Powder" and produced by Taiwanese company Chiseng Hong Ltd., initially tested positive for 7 ppb of Sudan I on Oct. 25 during a routine inspection by the New Taipei City government's Department of Health, according to the TFDA.

Following the initial detection, the TFDA sought to identify the specific raw ingredient in the mixed curry powder contaminated with Sudan dye, a red synthetic dye that is banned in Taiwan for use in foodstuffs, including types such as Sudan I and Sudan III, TFDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said at a news conference.

Of the 5,253 boxes of curry powder produced by Chiseng Hong, each weighing 600 grams and with an expiration date of May 6, 2026, one was retained at the company's factory as a sample of that batch of finished products, Lin said.

"Nine samples of raw ingredients used to produce this batch of mixed curry powder were also collected, making a total of 10 samples submitted to the TFDA's research and analysis unit for testing," Lin noted.

The testing results showed that Sudan I was detected in the curry powder at a concentration of 8 ppb, while qualitative analysis on the sample of turmeric powder, one of the nine raw ingredients, also confirmed the presence of Sudan I, he added.

Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the TFDA's Northern Center for Regional Administration, said that the tainted curry powder produced by the Taipei-based Chiseng Hong had been distributed across nine counties and cities, with 1,958 boxes -- around 40 percent of the total -- already recalled.

He also mentioned that the turmeric powder used in Chiseng Hong's curry powder was imported from India.

According to Cheng, 22 businesses in Taiwan have imported turmeric powder from India since 2022.

The health authorities "will immediately initiate a comprehensive inspection" of those 22 businesses and the turmeric powder they imported, Cheng added.

As a response to the incident, border inspections on turmeric powder imported from India to Taiwan have been strengthened, Cheng said. Such items will be subject to batch-by-batch inspection for Sudan dyes for one year starting Tuesday, he said.

"Any Sudan dye detected at the border will result in the product being destroyed, without the option for return shipment," Cheng added.

The incident involving Chiseng Hong's tainted curry powder followed a similar incident earlier this year, in which Sudan III was found in chili powder imported from China.

This prompted the TFDA to strengthen border inspections and implement batch-by-batch inspections on imported spices and sauces, including chili powders, from all countries beginning in early March.

Lin explained that the tainted batch of turmeric powder was imported from India before the enhanced border inspections were implemented early this year. "Therefore, our current border control measures remain effective."

However, the TFDA later responded to an inquiry from CNA, saying that prior to Tuesday, 35 types of imported spices and sauces had been subject to batch-by-batch border inspections to screen for banned dyes and pesticides, but turmeric powder was not included.

The "effective" measures Lin referred to mean that none of those 35 types of spices and sauces subject to batch-by-batch inspections -- including cumin, black pepper, and chili powder, all ingredients in the mixed curry powder -- tested positive for Sudan dyes, the TFDA added.