Taiwan blocks US pork containing rectopamine
The Taiwanese Department of Health (DOH) has blocked imports of over 24 metric tons of US pork found to contain a feed additive that is currently banned locally.
United States and Japan, allow the growth-enhancing rectopamine to be used on livestock, although Taiwan bans it. Cheng Hui-wen, head of the DOH Bureau of Food Safety, assured that no US pork containing rectopamine had entered Taiwan, dismissing allegations that the health authorities had tried to cover up the results of drug tests on the imports.
Low residue levels
The two banned pork shipments were detected to contain rectopamine residue of 0.15 mg/kg and 0.32 mg/kg, respectively, on July 11 when they were awaiting customs clearance, Cheng said. The shipments, weighing 1.3 and 23 metric tons respectively, were imported by K&K Foods Inc., the official said. The US and Japanese standards for maximum rectopamine residue is 50 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg, respectively, Cheng said. Cheng stressed that even by the Japanese standard, the residue levels in the two banned shipments were very low.
Check restaurants
People First Party legislators Lin Hui-kuang, Liu Wen-hsiung and Tsai Sheng-chia said the DOH should investigate immediately to see whether any imported pork containing rectopamine had made its way to local restaurants.
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