TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Health and Welfare Minister Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said Saturday there was a possibility that camellia seeds imported from China are behind the recent problems with tainted camellia oil.
Food safety inspections found excessive levels of the carcinogen benzopyrene in two batches of camellia oil. It is the same substance that led to a large-scale recall of soybean cooking oil last month.
The two batches of contaminated camellia oil both came from the same factory in Chiayi County, per UDN. Factory management said the raw materials for the oil were sourced locally, but it was unable to provide proof, Shih said.
As 95% of camellia seeds available in Taiwan are imported, there is a strong possibility the contaminated product came from China, according to the minister. He added that the benzopyrene could have been produced during the drying of the seeds.
The two countries maintain different standards for benzopyrene, with China allowing a maximum of 10 parts per billion, while Taiwan enforces a limit of 2 ppb, Shih said. The authorities told the Yuan Chuen factory in Meishan to stop production of camellia oil, while county health inspectors try to determine the origin of the contamination, UDN reported.
