Over 2,100 kg of tainted pork intestines pulled from market: FDA

Taipei, Oct. 4 (CNA) More than 2,100 kilograms of problematic pork intestines have been pulled from the market after local health authorities launched an intensive recall to protect consumers, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Saturday.

According to prosecutors, a vendor in Pingtung County, Pai Wei Food Co., and its employees were found to have soaked spoiled pork intestines in industrial-grade hydrogen peroxide to disguise them as fresh, in an attempt to make illegal profits.

In a statement, the FDA said a joint inspection by health and agricultural agencies found the vendor had shipped around 3,000 kg of the intestines to downstream food vendors in Taipei, Taoyuan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Monday this year. Pork intestines are a popular choice for holiday barbecues in Taiwan.

Wei Jen-ting (魏任廷), head of the FDA's southern management center, said the inspection team on Thursday instructed local health authorities in the four jurisdictions to remove the tainted products from the market to protect public health.

As of Saturday evening, 2,104 kg of pork intestines had been recalled, Wei said.

Authorities also seized an additional 11,664 kg of pork intestines at the vendor's factory and 940 kg at its warehouse, as well as several barrels of hydrogen peroxide labeled "industrial grade product, not suitable for food applications," for further investigation, the FDA said.

Quarantine officials will determine whether the confiscated intestines are spoiled to prevent them from entering the food supply chain, Wei added.

Under the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, vendors found using industrial-grade hydrogen peroxide in food processing face confiscation and destruction of their products, as well as prison sentences of up to seven years and fines of up to NT$80 million (US$2.63 million).

The FDA said it will continue working with local health authorities to carry out inspections and require vendors to strengthen self-management to ensure food safety and protect consumers.