Another Toxic Vegetable Alert! 3 Popular Greens in Taiwan Found with Pesticide Overruns; 18,000 kg Destroyed, 2 Fruits Also Fail Inspection – Full List Revealed

Consumers should exercise caution when purchasing imported fruits and vegetables. On the 28th, Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released the latest list of imported products that failed border inspections. A total of 12 shipments were rejected due to failing strict safety standards. The list includes a significant number of fresh vegetables and fruits, such as Japanese fresh cantaloupe, Vietnamese fresh durian, Thai lettuce and cilantro, and frozen multicolored cauliflower imported from mainland China. All these products were intercepted due to pesticide residues exceeding domestic limits and have been legally ordered for return or destruction.

What issues were found in imported produce from Southeast Asia? Thai cilantro and lettuce, as well as Vietnamese durian, were found with pesticide levels above legal limits.

Regarding Southeast Asian imports, two shipments of Thai vegetables declared by Sandoli Trading Co., Ltd. were found to contain pesticide residues. The first batch, 88 kg of Thai cilantro, tested positive for fenpropathrin at 0.020 ppm and its metabolite at 0.002 ppm. The second batch, 120 kg of Thai lettuce, contained fenpropathrin at 0.002 ppm. According to Taiwan's pesticide residue tolerance standards, the legal limit for fenpropathrin and its metabolites in these vegetables is 0.001 ppm. Both shipments exceeded this limit.

Additionally, a shipment of premium fresh durian weighing 15,840 kg, imported by Fresh Trade Co., Ltd. from Vietnam, was found to contain 0.02 ppm of the pesticide Medallon during border sampling. Regulations stipulate that Medallon must not be detected in durian, with a detection limit below 0.01 ppm. As a result, this large shipment has been ordered for return or destruction.

Are temperate fruits and frozen vegetables also violating standards? Japanese cantaloupe and Chinese cauliflower fail inspection.

Beyond Southeast Asian produce, popular Japanese temperate fruits also made the list. A batch of 80 kg of Japanese fresh cantaloupe, declared by Donghe Fruit Co., Ltd., tested positive for 0.02 ppm of the pesticide prothiophos. The legal tolerance limit for prothiophos in this fruit is 0.01 ppm, meaning the detected level was twice the allowable amount.

For processed and frozen vegetables, a shipment of 18,000 kg of 'GOVEGE' brand multicolored cauliflower imported from mainland China by Quanqiao Co., Ltd. was found to contain 0.02 ppm of the pesticide kemeisu. According to pesticide residue standards, kemeisu must not be detected in leafy vegetables, with a detection limit below 0.01 ppm. As this violates Taiwan's Food Safety and Sanitation Management Act, the entire shipment has been detained and disposed of according to law.

How does the FDA handle problematic produce? Comprehensive border safety mechanisms are fully enforced.

For all the non-compliant imported fruits and vegetables identified in this border inspection, the FDA has blocked them at customs to ensure unsafe products do not enter the market and endanger public health. Importers have been required to destroy or return all non-compliant shipments. The FDA emphasized that it will adjust border inspection frequencies for violators and high-risk country-origin products, continuing to strictly safeguard the safety of imported food.