TAIPEI — A shipment of Chilean sea urchins imported by Zensho Taiwan Co., Ltd., a Japanese restaurant chain operating Sukiya and Hama Sushi, has been blocked at Taiwan’s border due to excessive cadmium content, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported today.
The 40kg batch was found to contain 0.5 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of cadmium, surpassing Taiwan’s legal seafood limit of 0.3 mg/kg. As per regulations, the shipment will either be returned to Chile or destroyed at the border, according to FDA Acting Director-General Lin Chin-fu.
Lin added that the violation would result in enhanced inspections for future shipments from the company. While random checks will no longer be sufficient, more rigorous controls will be applied moving forward.
Despite this incident, Lin noted that only one out of 11 batches of Chilean sea urchins imported over the last six months failed inspection. Therefore, no additional restrictions or special regulatory measures will be enforced for Chilean sea urchins at this time.
The FDA’s weekly report also flagged 15 other food products, including Egyptian basil leaves, Indian groundnut kernels, and Vietnamese soft peanut candies, for exceeding pesticide residue limits or other safety concerns.
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