Taiwan has suspended imports from three Vietnamese durian suppliers for one month after shipments were found with pesticides banned in Taiwan, including methidathion, dithiocarbamates, and carbofuran, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Tuesday.
Between March 15 and Sept. 15, 22 of 716 batches of Vietnamese durians failed inspections, mainly due to excessive pesticide residues and cadmium contamination, according to Liu Fang-ming, director of the TFDA's Northern Taiwan Management Center.
Since July, all Vietnamese durians have been subject to 100% border checks. This measure will remain in place until Oct. 22. Imports from the three suppliers involved will be suspended from Sept. 26 to Oct. 25, Liu said.
The three durian shipments were part of the TFDA's latest list of border inspection violations, which also included 17 food products such as German collagen drinks and Australian mandarins. All failed products were either returned or destroyed.
Also listed was a 375-kilogram batch of white sesame seeds imported from China for a Michelin-recognized Hong Kong dessert brand, which tested positive for 0.04 ppm of chlorpyrifos, a pesticide prohibited under Taiwan residue standards. The shipment was ordered to be returned or destroyed. As this was the importer's first violation in six months, the sampling rate of its sesame imports will rise to between 20 and 50 percent. Other products from the same importer will remain subject to standard inspection.
Source: Focus Taiwan