7 Japanese food shipments intercepted at border

Taipei, Dec. 31 (CNA) Seven food shipments imported from Japan including fresh kumquats and strawberries were recently intercepted at Taiwan's border after being found to contain excess pesticide or preservative residues, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Tuesday.

The seven items were among 16 imported items intercepted at the border in recent weeks for containing excessive or banned pesticide or failing to meet import requirements, according to a weekly list of intercepted items published by the agency on Tuesday, including Chinese cabbage imported from South Korea, broccoli from Vietnam, and blueberries from Peru.

The seven batches of Japanese foods include four shipments of kumquats, one of fresh strawberries, one of Hojicha (roasted Japanese tea) powder and one of kiwifruit.

Two of the four intercepted batches of kumquats imported by Tong Ho Fruit Co. and one imported by Kingo Fruits Co. were found to contain the banned pesticide flubendiamide and isofetamid, while the fourth shipment was imported by Greather Fruit Trading Co. and found to contain the banned fungicide isofetamid, TFDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) told reporters.

Imports by Tong Ho will remain subject to batch-by-batch inspection, while random checks of imports by Kingo and Greather will be increased, Lin added.

All the intercepted shipments were either returned to their country of origin or destroyed at the border, the agency said.

According to Centers for Disease Control statistics, from June 23 to Dec. 23, seven out of 189 batches of Japanese citrus fruit submitted by importers for checking failed border inspection for excess pesticide residues.

Lin said from Dec. 30, citrus fruit from Japan is subject to stricter sample inspections until June 29, 2025.

In addition, a batch of Japanese strawberries imported by Sweetgardenskeelung Ltd. was seized for containing the banned chemical isopyrazam and imports by the company will continue to be subject to batch-by-batch inspections.