Pesticide fipronil detected at three egg farms in Changhua, highest residue 153 ppb; children eating one egg a day would exceed the limit
Text by upstream and downstream reporters Lai Yuwei and Kong Delian
Regarding the detection of fipronil in domestic egg products, the Council of Agriculture, the Chemical Bureau, and the Food and Drug Administration jointly held a press conference this morning, confirming that fipronil was detected at 5ppb, 22ppb, and 153ppb in the egg products of Wenzheng Ranch, Guohe Ranch, and Liancheng Ranch in Changhua, respectively, and that movement controls will be imposed on the egg products of these ranches.
Among them, because Liancheng Ranch tested at a high level of 153ppb of fipronil, the Food and Drug Administration pointed out that a 60 kg adult eating just one and a half eggs a day would exceed the limit, and children are even more at risk, with a risk from eating 0.75 of an egg a day.
Huang Chang chang, Director-General of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (photo/Kong Delian)
Chemical Bureau: Fipronil in environmental pesticides must go through regulation, very strict
Hsu Jen-tse, section chief of the Chemical Bureau, pointed out that for fipronil in special environmental pesticides, operators must obtain a "vector control pesticide permit," including a sales permit, and application must also have an application plan, and only after obtaining government approval according to the process can application be carried out; regulation is very strict, and if regulations are not followed, penalties will absolutely be imposed under the Environmental Agents Management Act.
European toxic eggs spread to processed products, does Taiwan test for them?
In response to media questions about whether relevant units will additionally conduct spot testing on domestic egg-processed foods, Chen Chi-chung emphasized that products must be "safe" before they can go on the market, and only if all of them are problem-free and fipronil is not detected can they go on the market. After the case occurred, movement controls have already been imposed on the three ranches, so even egg products cannot go on the market.
As for imported egg powder, liquid egg, and other products, are they also listed as one of the spot-testing items? Lin Chin-fu, Deputy Director-General of the Food and Drug Administration, the competent authority for border inspection and post-market products, said, "Now as long as egg products, liquid egg, and processed egg products are imported, the Food and Drug Administration will test for fipronil." Considering that domestically we are a major egg-producing country, basically imported egg products are few, and processed egg products imported from the EU and South Korea are rarely heard of. At this stage, spot testing of domestic egg products remains the main work, "but as long as there are imports, we will check."
Wu Hsiu-mei and Hsu Chao-kai, deputy director of the Food Division of the Food and Drug Administration, further stated that at present "egg products" remain the first-stage inspection work target. As for whether processed egg products will be included in sampling and spot testing, it may need to wait for future internal meetings to decide; there is currently no conclusion, "right now egg products are still the main work item," Hsu emphasized.