Taiwan Tightens Food Safety: U.S. Fried Chicken Batter and Vietnamese Durian Fail Inspections

Food Safety Checks in Taiwan: Highlights Concerns Over Pesticides and Heavy Metals in Imported Goods.

Taipei, May 13 - Taiwan's commitment to food safety is highlighted by recent border inspections that have resulted in the rejection of several imported food products due to safety concerns. The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) announced that multiple shipments were ordered to be returned or destroyed after failing to meet safety standards.

One significant case involved a batch of fried chicken batter imported from the United States. The product, named "Crispy Batter Mix," was found to contain 1.4 micrograms per kilogram of ethylene oxide, a banned pesticide and known carcinogen. The affected shipment, totaling 1,077.75 kilograms, was imported by the Taipei branch of Hasmore Ltd, a Hong Kong-based restaurant group with subsidiaries in Taiwan. As a result, the importer will now be subject to increased border inspections, with checks increasing from the standard 2-10 percent to a range of 20-50 percent, confirmed Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the TFDA's Northern Center for Regional Administration.

In a separate incident, three batches of fresh durian imported from Vietnam also failed to pass inspection due to excessive levels of cadmium, a heavy metal. The durian, imported by Z&C Fruit Trading Co. Ltd, Zhateng Enterprise Shop, and Trillion Victory Trade Co., Ltd., had cadmium concentrations ranging from 0.07 mg/kg to 0.18 mg/kg, exceeding Taiwan's safety limit of 0.05 mg/kg. Consequently, the TFDA will now implement batch-by-batch inspections for cadmium on these importers. From November 5, 2024, to May 5, 2025, 313 batches of fresh durian from Vietnam were inspected, with four (1.3%) failing due to heavy metal issues. Chen noted that fresh durian from Vietnam is subject to 20-50 percent inspections at the border from April 1 to June 12 this year.

Other problematic imports included fresh blueberries from Japan, partially fermented fragment tea from Vietnam, cumin seeds from India, wake-up carbonated drink from Vietnam, and dried chili from China, underscoring Taiwan's vigilant approach to protecting consumers.