8,947 kg China-imported star anise destroyed for containing Sudan dye

Taipei, Oct. 7 (CNA) A shipment of 8,947 kilograms of star anise fragments imported from China was destroyed at the border after testing positive for Sudan III dye, a banned industrial coloring agent, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Tuesday.

The intercepted batch, imported by Jofont Biotechnology Co., was among 14 products on the noncompliance list released Tuesday, including Japanese melons, Korean frozen marlin, French spice powder, Australian mandarins, and Vietnamese broccoli, all found to exceed pesticide or safety limits.

Liu Fang-ming (劉芳銘), director of the TFDA's Northern Taiwan Management Center, said Sudan dye is classified as a prohibited substance under the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, meaning the product cannot be returned and must be destroyed.

Between March 29 and Sept. 29, three of 16 batches of star anise fragments from China failed inspections for Sudan dye, representing an 18.8 percent failure rate.

Liu said the TFDA has been carrying out a 100 percent inspection rate for Sudan dyes on all star anise fragments from China from April 11, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2026.

Fresh black truffles have also appeared on the noncompliance list for two consecutive weeks due to excessive heavy metal content.

Liu said 6.5 kilograms of truffles imported by Good Food You Gourmet Shop from Romania contained cadmium at 3 mg/kg, exceeding the legal limit of 2 mg/kg.

According to Liu, the batch will either be destroyed or returned to the exporter.

The same importer's truffles from Bulgaria had previously failed inspections, according to the noncompliance list released last week.

Another batch from Romania failed last December, prompting the TFDA to tighten oversight from enhanced sampling to full batch-by-batch inspections, according to Liu.