Austria pumpkin seed oil rejected over benzo[a]pyrene

Taipei, Aug. 4 (CNA) A small shipment of pumpkin seed oil imported from Austria has been rejected at Taiwan's border after testing found excessive levels of the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Tuesday.

The 4.5-kilogram shipment, imported by Taichung-based HealthTake Corp., contained 2.5 parts per billion (ppb) of benzo[a]pyrene, exceeding Taiwan's maximum limit of 2.0 ppb for edible oils and fats, the TFDA said.

The shipment was ordered to be returned to its country of origin or destroyed and did not enter the domestic market, the agency said.

The finding comes as Taiwanese authorities continue investigating domestically produced soybean-based oil and camellia oil over suspected benzo[a]pyrene contamination.

Liu Fang-ming (劉芳銘), director of the TFDA's Northern Taiwan Management Center, said imported edible oils are routinely tested for benzo[a]pyrene at the border.

The case marks the first time in nearly two years that an imported oil product has failed a border inspection for the compound. The previous violation was detected in October 2024, when gac fruit oil imported from Vietnam exceeded the limit, Liu said.

According to TFDA statistics, 169 shipments of pumpkin seed oil have been declared for import over the past three years, with 38 selected for inspection. The Austrian shipment was the first to fail.

Liu said the Austrian manufacturer, All Organic Treasures GmbH, has exported only two shipments to Taiwan. The other shipment, imported in 2023, is no longer on the market.

He added that HealthTake previously had a pumpkin seed oil product fail border inspection for excessive heavy metals in 2016. As a result of the latest violation, all future pumpkin seed oil shipments imported by the company will be subject to inspection.

The pumpkin seed oil was one of 15 products listed in the TFDA's latest border inspection report released Tuesday.

Other non-compliant products included black sesame seeds from Cambodia and Cassia occidentalis extract from China, which is commonly used in traditional medicines. They failed their inspections due to excessive pesticide residues or other violations.

Also rejected was a 1.3-kg shipment of largehead hairtail (beltfish) imported from Japan by Les Terroirs de Chailease Co. after it was found to contain 0.7 ppb of malachite green, a veterinary drug prohibited in fish products under Taiwan's regulations.

The TFDA has raised the inspection rate for future shipments imported by the company to between 20 percent and 50 percent, Liu said.