Imported mustard blocked at border over excessive preservative residue

Taipei, Aug. 12 (CNA) A batch of English mustard imported from France was recently blocked at the border for containing a preservative exceeding permitted levels, according to the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) on Tuesday.

The 48 kilograms of mustard supplied by Charbonneaux-Brabant S.A. were found to contain 0.079 g/kg of sulphur dioxide, exceeding the legal limit of 0.030 g/kg, the TFDA said.

Sulphur dioxide, a common preservative used to prevent browning, microbial growth, and spoilage, is found in foodstuffs such as dried fruits, pickled vegetables and some meat products.

Tsai Chia-fen (蔡佳芬), deputy director of the TFDA's Northern Center for Regional Administration, said the batch would be returned or destroyed in accordance with regulations.

The Taipei-based importer, Gourmet's Partner Ltd., will face an increased inspection rate of 20-50 percent at the border, up from the usual 2-10 percent, Tsai said.

From Feb. 4 to Aug. 4 this year, Taiwan imported 36 batches of mustard from France, five of which failed safety inspections, accounting for 13.9 percent of the total, Tsai said, adding that the cause of all the inspection failures was excessive sulfur dioxide residue.

Meanwhile, eight other items unveiled on Tuesday that also recently failed safety inspections included dried green mung beans from Thailand and fresh durian from Vietnam.

According to the TFDA, the durian, imported by two different companies, has been tested to contain excessive levels of pesticide or banned insecticides, including azoxystrobin, prochloraz, acephate and methamidophos.

The combined two batches of this tropical fruit exceeded 30,000 kg, it said, adding that they will all be returned to their country of origin or destroyed in accordance with regulations.

Due to the problematic issues related to Vietnamese durians, fruit from the Southeast Asian country has been subject to a 100 percent safety inspection at the border since July 22, the TFDA said.