Carcinogenic dye dimethyl yellow still found in dried tofu on the market; Taipei spot checks find 20% fail, including Shin Tung Yang spicy dried tofu
In late December of the 103rd year of the Republic of China (December 22-25), the Taipei City Government Department of Health conducted a special inspection of soy products at hypermarkets, supermarkets, food stores and other locations in Taipei City, sampling a total of 49 items. In addition to routine testing for preservatives (benzoic acid, sorbic acid, dehydroacetic acid), colorants and sulfur dioxide, in response to the "illegal use of dimethyl yellow as an emulsifier in dried tofu incident," testing was comprehensively expanded to include dimethyl yellow and diethyl yellow. The test results found 10 items positive for dimethyl yellow, an non-compliance rate of 20.4%; separately, labeling checks on 12 fully packaged products all met regulations.
Among the 10 non-compliant soy products in this inspection, 5 items came from the same source, "Yuxiang Food Factory Co., Ltd." firewood dried tofu, large dried tofu, dried tofu, large dried tofu cubes, and dried tofu (red slices); 3 items came from the same source, "Tiansu Food Co., Ltd." spicy dried tofu strips, firewood dried tofu, and dried tofu; and the other 2 items came respectively from "Maijun Food Co., Ltd." Hunan-style dried tofu and "Shin Tung Yang Co., Ltd. Dayuan Factory" Shin Tung Yang spicy dried tofu.
The Taipei City Department of Health stated that under Article 15, Paragraph 1 of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, the use of the illegal additive dimethyl yellow is punishable under Article 44 of the same Act by a fine of no less than NT$60,000 and no more than NT$200 million; furthermore, under Article 49 of the same Act, if it causes harm to human health, it is punishable by imprisonment of not more than 7 years, and in addition a fine of not more than NT$80 million may be imposed. For non-compliant products, the Department of Health has notified sellers and supplier-side businesses to remove them from shelves immediately. Upon tracing, the manufacturing locations of the products were all located in other counties and cities, and the matter has been referred to the health departments of the governing counties and cities for investigation in accordance with the law.
Dimethyl yellow is an acid-base indicator, commonly found in oil-soluble dyes for industrial use, and is not a colorant permitted for use in our country.
If the public has food safety and sanitation questions or consumer doubts, please call the consumer service hotline 02-27208777 or the citizen hotline 1999 (residents of other counties and cities please call 02-27208889), extension 7079. The public may visit the Taipei City Government Department of Health website http://www.health.gov.tw/ or the Food and Drug Consumer Knowledge Service Network http://consumer.fda.gov.tw/ to look up related information.