In order to enhance the efficiency of imported food inspection and provide a more comfortable and convenient environment for services, the Keelung Port Office of the Food and Drug Administration (hereinafter referred to as the “FDA”) will move to Keelung Harbor Service Building on January 2, 2018 to start providing cooperative services together with the Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance, Keelung Customs. The opening ceremony will be held in the Great Hall on the fourth floor of the Keelung Customs building at 10 am on January 3, co-hosted by Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung and Political Deputy Minister of Finance Su Jain-rong. The Mayor of Keelung City, Lin Yu-chang, elected representatives, and senior politicians will also be invited as guests to attend the ceremony.

These days, our citizens are more concerned about the safety of imported food, and in response, the FDA is also involved in considerable efforts to inspect imported food. However, the space of the original Keelung Port Office has not been sufficient; therefore, the office will be relocated in order to cooperate with the Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance, Keelung Customs for the purpose of elevating the safety of imported food. This will also assist the CPT single window to implement the unified integrated import declaration, enhance efficient civil service for customs declaration and inspection, and create a safer and more convenient environment.

After working together, a cooperative platform between the Keelung Port Office and Keelung Customs will be established to shorten the time for connection, as well as lessen the time and manpower required for delivering and returning documents. Therefore, the customs clearance process will be sped up and will become more convenient so that customs brokerage services can manage the customs declaration and inspection of imported food. Furthermore, the “sampling procedure of imported agricultural and fishing products inspection,” which includes food and drug in cargo clearance, tourist luggage, and postal parcels, will be launched as a trial operation. The sampling will be taken by customs with one-time open package inspection in order to avoid repeated package opening and inspection and save time and costs. After all, we expect to protect the “food and drug safety” of our citizens.

Source: (https://www.fda.gov.tw/EN/newsContent.aspx?id=22677)

Source : Taipei Times (http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2017/08/31/2003677509)

Staff writer, with CNA

About 10,000 eggs yesterday were taken off store shelves in Taipei, after they were found to have come from a farm in Chiayi County where the insecticide fipronil was detected, the Taipei Department of Health said.

The recall came after the department on Tuesday received a report from its counterpart in the county that excessive traces of fipronil had been found in eggs from Tsai Chun-chieh Livestock Farm, which had been sent to a retailer in Taipei.

All the recalled eggs are to be shipped back to Chiayi County, where they will be destroyed, Food and Drug Division head Wang Ming-li (王明理) said.

Test samples from the Tsai farm and a livestock farm in Hsinchu County came after the Council of Agriculture last week completed an examination of 1,451 egg farms nationwide for possible fipronil contamination.

Concentrations of the toxic insecticide were found to exceed 5 parts-per-billion, or 0.005 milligrams per kg, the maximum residue limit set by the EU, the council said.

Taiwan follows EU standards.

The new finding bring the number of fipronil-affected farms to 45, the statement said, adding that those farms have been put under strict controls and prohibited from transporting any eggs off their premises.

The council launched an inspection of chicken farms across Taiwan on Aug. 20 as the fipronil scare came to light.

The insecticide has also contaminated eggs in Europe and South Korea. The use of fipronil in agriculture and food production is illegal in Europe.

The WHO considers fipronil to be “moderately toxic” to humans. Long-term exposure could cause damage to the kidneys, liver or thyroid gland.

CNA  Thursday, June 29, 2017, 3:12 pm TWN

Source : The China Post (http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/2017/06/29/499082/the-fda.htm)

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday revoked its decision to tolerate fluopyram in tea, after its previous decision to permit residue of the fungicide stirred controversy.

 

In line with the Council of Agriculture (COA) policy of allowing the use of a pesticide that is a mixture of fluopyram and trifloxystrobin on tea bushes, the FDA on March 15 announced that up to 6 ppm of fluopyram residue would be permitted.

The announcement immediately triggered an outcry, because fluopyram has been linked to thyroid and liver cancer in mice.

According to Pan Chih-kuan (潘志寬), head of the FDA’s Division of Food Safety, the FDA’s decision to revoke the tolerance for fluopyram was made to ease consumers’ concerns and avoid unnecessary misunderstanding.

The FDA and COA will reconsider the use of fluopyram and its residue limit and will strengthen communication with the public before a further decision is made, he said.