Japanese cooking oil blocked for excessive contaminant: TFDA

Taipei, April 8 (CNA) A batch of grape seed oil imported from Japan has been blocked at Taiwan's border after testing revealed excessive levels of a food processing contaminant classified as a potential carcinogen, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Tuesday.

The oil contained 1,578 micrograms per kilogram of glycidyl fatty acid esters, above the national safety limit of 1,000 micrograms per kilogram, the agency's March 19 testing showed.

These esters are known to form during high-temperature refining processes such as the deodorization, deacidification and bleaching of vegetable oils. Long-term exposure may pose health risks, including cancer, the TFDA warned in its weekly briefing.

The affected shipment, totaling 10.66 kilograms, was imported by Yumaowu Enterprise Co., it said.

Because of two consecutive weeks of non-compliance, the importer will now be subject to stricter inspections, upgraded from random checks to mandatory batch-by-batch testing, TFDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said.

The grape seed oil was among seven non-compliant products flagged in the TFDA's latest border inspection report, several of which also originated in Japan.

Other problematic imports included seaweed products such as mehijiki and mozuku, which were found to contain excessive levels of inorganic arsenic, a toxic heavy metal that can cause health issues.

All non-compliant shipments have been either returned or destroyed, the agency said.