TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's health authorities have identified dangerous contaminants in multiple imported food products, as the Ministry of Health and Welfare's (MHW, 衛福部) Food and Drug Administration (FDA, 衛福部食藥署) revealed Tuesday (April 29) that eight product batches failed border inspections. Nearly half of the rejected shipments came from the United States, including cadmium-contaminated oysters and avocados.
FDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) reported that the rejected American oysters contained twice the permissible level of cadmium — measuring two parts per million against Taiwan's one ppm limit established under the "Sanitation Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food" (食品中污染物質及毒素衛生標準). These contaminated shellfish must now be returned to suppliers or destroyed. The inspection also flagged 3,796.8 kilograms of avocados that similarly failed cadmium safety thresholds. In response, Lin announced heightened scrutiny for American oyster imports, with inspection rates rising to 20%-50% through May 28.
Health experts have raised alarms about the potential dangers of these contaminated imports. Yen Tzung-hai (顏宗海), who directs the Clinical Poison Center at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, cautioned that prolonged consumption of cadmium-contaminated foods creates serious health hazards, as the International Agency for Research on Cancer categorizes cadmium as a Group 1 carcinogen — its highest risk classification. Yen highlighted that certain workers, particularly welders, already face elevated cadmium exposure risks through their occupations.
The contamination issue appears to show a concerning pattern. FDA data reveals that between October 2024 and April 2025, inspectors rejected three out of 63 batches of American oysters — a 4.8% failure rate — all for excessive cadmium levels. The current round of border rejections also flagged diverse products from multiple countries: black cumin seeds from India, frozen blueberries from China, instant drink powder from Indonesia, Morchella mushrooms from Bulgaria, and chili fish sauce from Vietnam. ★
