Italian truffle cheese fails to advance past Taiwan border over E. coli

Taipei, April 14 (CNA) A batch of truffle cheese imported from Italy was recently rejected at the border after testing positive for excessive levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli), the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Tuesday.

Five samples from the 2.87-kilogram shipment contained between 23 and 93 most probable number (MPN) per gram. Under Taiwan's regulations, no more than two out of five samples may contain between 10 and 100 MPN/g of E. coli, while no sample may exceed 100 MPN/g, the TFDA said.

The shipment will be returned or destroyed, and the importer will be subject to an increased inspection rate of 20-50 percent, the agency added.

Also on Tuesday, the TFDA reported that two batches of asparagus from Thailand were found to contain 0.02 parts per million (ppm) of the pesticide propamocarb hydrochloride, exceeding the legal limit of 0.01 ppm.

The two shipments, totaling 730 kilograms, were imported by the same company. Because of this, 100 percent of the company's future imports will be subject to inspection, said Liu Fang-ming (劉芳銘), director of the TFDA's Northern Taiwan Management Center.

According to TFDA data, six out of 1,057 batches of asparagus imported from Thailand between Oct. 6, 2025, and April 6, 2026, failed to meet pesticide residue standards.

Liu added that from Feb. 3 to May 13, asparagus imports from Thailand are subject to enhanced inspection rates of 20-50 percent.

The TFDA also listed seven other noncompliant shipments, including banana snacks from Indonesia; nectarines from Chile; dried bamboo fungus and dried chrysanthemum from China; asparagus and frozen passion fruit from Vietnam; and somage, tisane and loose-leaf peppermint from Egypt, citing excessive levels of pesticide residues, sweeteners or heavy metals.