An Indian curry powder product was found to contain a banned carcinogenic pesticide, the Consumers' Foundation Chinese Taipei (CFCT) said Wednesday, calling for regulators to take action to address the issue.
At a press conference, the nonprofit group announced the results of random testing on 19 samples of foods randomly purchased from online stores and retailers in Taipei and New Taipei in December 2022 for ethylene oxide.
The 19 food products tested included four vanilla ice creams, three jellies, three turmeric powders, three curry powders, two sesame seed products, one flax seed powder and three chili powders, according to the foundation.
Among the 19 samples, an Indian curry powder was found to contain ethylene oxide residue of 15.5 milligrams per kilogram in violation of Taiwan's food safety and sanitation regulations, according to the foundation.
Ethylene oxide (EtO), a widely used industrial product, is banned as a pesticide, food additive, or food disinfectant in Taiwan as it is classified as a first-class carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer under the World Health Organization.
Scientific evidence indicates that long-term exposure to EtO increases the risk of the development of leukemia in humans and breast cancer in women.
EtO is still used in only a few countries like India, the United States and Canada to kill bacteria and fungus on food such as sesame seeds and spices.
In Taiwan, since 2022, several batches of imported instant noodle and ice cream products had been returned to the country of origin for containing residue of ethylene oxide.
To protect domestic consumers from EtO exposure, Wu Jung-ta (???), the head of the CFCT, called on the government to conduct random tests more frequently on foods and ingredients sold on the market and step up inspections on imported herbs and spices at the border.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel