TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Ministry of Health and Welfare's Food and Drug Administration (FDA, 食品藥物管理署) announced Thursday (Aug. 8) that recent inspections revealed two food products exceeding mycotoxin limits, including excessive aflatoxin in peanut powder and citrinin in red yeast rice.
From April to June, the FDA and local health officials tested 240 samples, including rice, wheat, peanuts, red yeast products, coffee, and baby food. Among these, two products—peanut powder and red yeast rice—failed to meet safety standards.
FDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) explained that Horng Shing Health Products Co., LTD. (宏信食品工廠) in Kaohsiung sold peanut powder containing 3 ppb of aflatoxin, sourced from Sung Ju Mei Agricultural Co., Ltd. (松竹梅農產有限公司) in Pingtung. Local authorities fined the company NT$30,000 under the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食安法) after it failed a follow-up inspection.
The Taichung Health Bureau is also looking into an incident where Yu Chuan Hang (育饌行) in Nantou sold red yeast rice containing 5645 ppb of citrinin, sourced from Yang Shyh Enterprise Co., LTD. (楊氏企業行) into Taichung. The Health Bureau has taken over the investigation due to the lack of available samples for re-testing and will enhance future inspections.
Aflatoxin, a known liver carcinogen, poses significant health risks, especially when peanut powder is not stored properly. Citrinin, produced during red yeast rice fermentation, can cause kidney toxicity if not managed correctly. The FDA urges manufacturers to maintain clean environments and control fermentation processes to prevent contamination.
