Taiwan suspends durian imports from 3 Vietnamese firms

Taipei, Sept. 23 (CNA) Taiwan has suspended imports from three Vietnamese durian suppliers for one month after shipments were found contaminated with pesticides banned in Taiwan, such as methidathion, dithiocarbamates and carbofuran, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Tuesday.

Between March 15 and Sept. 15, 22 of 716 batches of Vietnamese durians failed inspections, with violations mainly involving excessive pesticide residues and cadmium contamination, according to Liu Fang-ming (劉芳銘), director of the TFDA's Northern Taiwan Management Center.

Since July, all Vietnamese durians have been subject to 100-percent border checks, a measure that will remain in place until Oct. 22.

To further contain risks, imports from the three suppliers involved will be suspended from Sept. 26 to Oct. 25, Liu said.

The three durian shipments were part of the TFDA's latest list of border inspection violations, which included 17 food products, including German collagen drinks and Australian mandarins. All failed products were either returned or destroyed.

Also flagged was a batch of white sesame seeds imported from China for a Michelin-recognized Hong Kong dessert brand, which tested positive for 0.04 ppm of chlorpyrifos, a pesticide prohibited under Taiwan's residue standards, Liu said.

The 375-kilogram shipment was ordered to be returned or destroyed. As this was the importer's first violation in six months, the sampling rate of its sesame imports will increase to between 20 and 50 percent. Other products from the same importer will remain subject to standard inspection.