Wine vinegar imported by chain hypermarket confiscated at customs

Taipei, Feb. 25 (CNA) A batch of wine vinegar imported from France has been halted at customs after being found to contain excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Tuesday.

The 450 kilogram batch was imported by the chain hypermarket Carrefour, and was detected with 0.107 g/kg of sulfur dioxide, exceeding the legal limit of 0.03 g/kg, and returned or destroyed at the border according to relevant regulations, the TFDA said.

Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the TFDA's Northern Center for Regional Administration, explained that the substance was used as an antioxidant, bleach, and preservative. It also makes the product look a better color by stopping fermentation and preventing red wine from becoming too dark.

The importer will now be subject to 20-50 percent inspection at the border, rather than the standard 2-10 percent, Cheng said.

Meanwhile, a batch of barley grass powder from China, imported by TCI Co., Ltd., was also stopped at the border for containing residue of banned pesticide fluroxypyr-meptyl, according to the TFDA.

The company's imports are subject to batch-by-batch inspection, Cheng said.

Meanwhile, a batch of fresh kumquats imported from Japan were intercepted for containing banned pesticide flubendiamide. Imports by the importer, Tong Ho Fruit Co., Ltd., will be 100 percent inspected, Cheng said.

According to the TFDA, 381 batches of citrus fruits were inspected at the border from Aug. 17 to Feb. 17, with 26 -- 6.8 percent -- failing inspections after being found to contain residues of various pesticides.

Citrus fruit from Japan will be subject to 100 percent inspection until March 24, 2025, Cheng said.

Other intercepted imports listed by the TFDA on Tuesday include produce and spices from Japan, Egypt, Indonesia, Chile, China and India for containing excessive pesticide residue or heavy metals.

A batch of straws from China was also halted for failure to pass dissolution tests, according to the TFDA.

(By Chen Chieh-ling and Wu Kuan-hsien)

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