An examination launched in December 2013 by the Executive Yuan's Food Safety Inspection and Crackdown Task Force of 17 of Taiwan's dairy manufacturers for the presence of prohibited residues of veterinary drugs in their products and adherence of their plants to government sanitation standards has concluded, and all goods and production facilities passed the tests.
The inspected manufacturers include Kuang Chuan Dairy Co. Ltd., Wei Chuan Foods Corp., Uni-President Enterprises Corp. and I-mei Foods Co. Ltd.
The task force, with the coordinated efforts of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Council of Agriculture, Ministry of Economic Affairs and health bureaus of county and city governments, specifically targeted the sources of raw materials and ingredients for fresh milk and additives, product labeling and plants' sanitation.
A total of 20 raw and 46 pasteurized milk products were randomly selected and tested for veterinary drug residues and compliance with dairy sanitation standards. There were 86 drug residue analyses conducted in six categories. These categories and the number of tests for each are listed below:
- Chloramphenicols (3)
- Tetracycline antibiotics (7)
- Sulfonamides and quinolones (48)
- Nitrofuran metabolites (4)
- Beta-lactam antibiotics (8)
- Multi-residue analyses for antibiotics and metabolites (16)
The dairy product sanitation tests were for acidity, aerobic plate count, coliform bacteria, E. Coli, Lysteria monocytogenes, salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins. All results of the drug residue and sanitation tests came back normal or negative.
With the Lunar New Year (LNY) just around the corner (January 31), the taskforce also this month launched inspections of popular foods of that holiday season sold at street markets (including those solely dedicated to LNY goods), traditional markets and hypermarkets, including niangao (a sticky glutinous rice cake), various seed snacks, peanuts, sausages, dried orange daylilies, dried mushrooms and dried shredded squid to see whether their preservatives and additives comply with regulations.
A fine of between NT$30,000 (US$992) and NT$3 million (US$99,167) shall be meted out to the manufacturer of any product found to contain illegal additives. Vendors will also be penalized if they do not remove disqualified products from their shelves immediately, Executive Yuan officials said.
The taskforce will continue to inspect staple foods, such as rice, eggs, organic agricultural products and soy sauce, progressively expanding its investigations and crackdowns, enhancing food safety management, informing the public of food products that fail inspections, and enforcing follow-up measures in line with the law so as to ensure food safety and protect consumers' rights, the Executive Yuan stated.