Vietnamese black pepper tainted with banned dye destroyed: TFDA

Taipei, Nov. 11 (CNA) More than 23 metric tons of Vietnamese black pepper have been destroyed at Taiwan's border after tests found traces of Sudan Red, a carcinogenic industrial dye banned in food, Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Tuesday.

Two importers, Taiwan Hsin Lin Enterprise Co. and Pei Jun Co., were responsible for the contaminated shipments, TFDA officials said in their weekly food safety briefing.

Pei Chun had previously imported chili powder from China containing the same banned dye in 2018 and was also linked to a company involved in last year's Sudan Red food safety scandal in Taiwan, officials said.

To prevent further violations, the TFDA said all black pepper imports from Vietnam have been subject to 100 percent inspection for the banned dye since Nov. 8, 2024, a measure that will remain in place until Nov. 4, 2026.

Between May 3 and Nov. 3 this year, the TFDA tested 56 shipments of Vietnamese black pepper, seven of which failed inspection -- a 12.5 percent failure rate. The violations mainly involved Sudan Red and pesticide residues, officials said.

The agency also detected E. coli contamination in 21 kilograms of French-made and Italian-made cheese imported by Taiwan-based P&P Food. The affected products will be returned or destroyed.

In response, the TFDA said it will raise the sampling rate for French cheese imports to 20-50 percent from Nov. 11 to Dec. 10, 2025, while maintaining standard checks on Italian cheese.