Two chain stores announced Saturday that they had pulled U.S.beef products from their shelves following the news that a banned drug used to promote leanness in meat had been detected in beef imported from the U.S.
The two stores -- the hypermarket RT-Mart and the wholesale members warehouse Costco -- also said they would accept refund requests from customers who purchased any of the products before they were removed from the shelves.
However, some 1,500 kg of the beef is feared to have been consumed.
The following are excerpts from local media coverage of the issue:
China Times:
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official said Saturday that three batches of imported U.S. beef were detected to contain residue of the animal feed additive ractopamine.
Tsai Shu-chen, chief of the FDA’s food division, said the 1,667 kg of beef products were imported from the United States last December.
RT-Mart was supplied with 1,207 kg of the beef and pulled 112.5 kg from the shelves in response to the alert, while Costco had already sold all 460 kg it had taken delivery of.
The products were found to contain ractopamine levels of between 0.64 and 2.84 parts per billion, in violation of the country’s total ban on the drug, Tsai said.
The Control Yuan, the nation’s highest watchdog body, said Saturday that it would conduct an investigation into the use of ractopamine in livestock and see if responsible government agencies have fulfilled their duty in ensuring food safety and protecting consumers.
Cheng Jen-cheng, one of the two members in charge of the investigation, said he would see if the Council of Agriculture has been inspecting livestock for signs of use of the substance.
He said he will also find out if the Department of Health has conducted random checks on meat products.
Last year, Taiwan imported an estimated 1,126 tons of bone-in beef and more than 33,000 tons of boneless beef products from the United States, accounting for a market share of 70 percent.
This is the first time that ractopamine has been detected since Taiwan opened its doors to boneless U.S. beef in 2007. (Jan. 16, 2011)
United Daily News:
A COA official said the DOH assessed a maximum allowable level for ractopamine in August 2007, but the proposal was nixed due to opposition from domestic hog-raising groups.
Hsu Tien-lai, director general of the COA’s Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, said the groups did not want imported meat products to contain the substance as local farmers did not use it.
An FDA official said that currently, 26 countries, including the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, allow the use of ractopamine and follow a formula for allowable levels.
The Consumers’ Foundation said the government has always asked livestock operators to ban the use, and that the European Union and China also ban its use.
Amid reports that the DOH might ease the ban on ractopamine use, foundation Chairwoman Joann Su said the DOH should not buckle to U.S. pressure on the issue.
“If the government insists on easing the ban, the foundation will not rule out the possibility of launching a boycott campaign, " Su said.
Su noted that U.S. pork had previously been detected to contain ractopamine and that the DOH at that time did not allow local farmers to use it.
If local livestock operators cannot use ractopamine, imported meat should not be allowed to contain it, Su said. (Jan. 16, 2011) Liberty Times:
Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang said the allowable ractopamine levels could be discussed further, but pointed out that it is still banned under current regulations.
Yaung said the DOH is acting according to regulations and that there will be no exceptions for either local or foreign products.
He noted that geese raised on a few local farms were found recently to contain ractopamine and were immediately culled.
His words came amid reports that the Office of the United States Trade Representative has asked Taiwan to ease the ban on ractopamine use in meat products. (Jan. 16, 2011)
