Taiwan rejects Philippine banana sauce due to presence of illegal dye

Taipei, Sept. 2 (CNA) Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Tuesday.

From Wednesday through Sept. 2, 2026, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines will be subject to the TFDA's strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, the agency said in a press release.

Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the TFDA's Northern Center for Regional Administration.

The contaminated batches that totaled 2,400 kilograms were ordered to be returned or destroyed under the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, he said.

According to Cheng, Taiwan has inspected 164 batches of seasoning sauces from the Philippines in the past six months, with three failing due to Orange G, representing a 1.8 percent failure rate.

The latest TFDA report also flagged other noncompliant imports over the past week, including Chinese mulberry tea powder and American mustard, due to pesticide or additive violations.

Separately, three batches of fresh durians imported from Vietnam were found to contain excessive pesticide residues. The TFDA has already imposed 100 percent inspection on Vietnamese durians until Oct. 1.

Over the past six months (Feb. 25-Aug. 25), the TFDA received 723 batches of fresh durians imported from Vietnam, of which 19 failed inspection, representing a 2.6 percent failure rate, mainly due to excessive pesticide residues and cadmium.