Taipei: More than 23 metric tons of Vietnamese black pepper have been destroyed at Taiwan's border after tests found traces of Sudan Red, a carcinogenic industrial dye banned in food, Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Tuesday. Two importers, Taiwan Hsin Lin Enterprise Co. and Pei Jun Co., were responsible for the contaminated shipments, TFDA officials reported during their weekly food safety briefing.
According to Focus Taiwan, Pei Chun had previously imported chili powder from China containing the same banned dye in 2018 and was also linked to a company involved in last year's Sudan Red food safety scandal in Taiwan. To prevent further violations, the TFDA announced that all black pepper imports from Vietnam have been subject to 100 percent inspection for the banned dye since November 8, 2024. This measure will remain in place until November 4, 2026.
Between May 3 and November 3 this year, the TFDA tested 56 shipments of Vietnamese black pepper, seven of which failed inspection, resulting in a 12.5 percent failure rate. The violations mainly involved Sudan Red and pesticide residues, according to officials.
The agency also detected E. coli contamination in 21 kilograms of French-made and Italian-made cheese imported by Taiwan-based P and P Food. The affected products will be returned or destroyed. In response, the TFDA said it will raise the sampling rate for French cheese imports to 20-50 percent from November 11 to December 10, 2025, while maintaining standard checks on Italian cheese.