Taiwan recalls 150,000 eggs contaminated with pesticide
More than 150,000 eggs potentially contaminated with high levels of pesticide residue have entered the market in 10 administrative regions in Taiwan, the Food and Drug Administration has cautioned consumers.
The agency has issued an emergency recall of eggs in Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Chiayi City, as well as Hsinchu, Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou, and Chiayi counties. Consumers are urged not to buy or eat eggs with the traceability code I47045 and to return them to stores or discard them if already purchased.
The contamination was first detected by the Changhua County Public Health Bureau last Tuesday, which found 0.03 parts per million of fipronil sulfone in a batch of eggs from a local farm. This level exceeded the permissible limit of 0.01 parts per million. While 626 cartons were traced and recalled, 543 cartons had already been sold to consumers, the FDA Central Center Director-General Lin Hsu-yang said.
Further recent testing revealed additional contaminated eggs, prompting authorities to notify the other nine regions. The total number of potentially affected eggs in the market reached approximately 150,000, all carrying the same lot number, Lin said.
Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang said preliminary investigations indicate the contamination was caused by environmental pollution rather than tainted feed or pesticide use on the farm.
Yang Chen-chang, director of occupational medicine and clinical toxicology at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, warned that ingesting large amounts of fipronil sulfone could cause cramps, headaches, dizziness, stomach pain, and nausea. While acute poisoning is rare, long-term accumulation may damage the liver, kidneys, or thyroid gland. He advised that Taiwan’s standards for fipronil sulfone residues are stricter than those in Japan, South Korea, and the US.
The Changhua County Public Health Bureau said this is the first food safety case in Taiwan handled using traceability codes. The system allows precise recalls and provides information to consumers and businesses about product quality.
Local authorities are continuing inspections. The Changhua County Department of Agriculture recommended purchasing eggs from the county’s Fresh Select suppliers, which are not affected by the recall. The Hsinchu County Public Health Bureau and Taichung City Government also confirmed recall orders for the contaminated eggs.
The Kaohsiung Department of Health said a local supermarket would face fines ranging from NT$60,000 to NT$200 million for failing to notify customers about the contaminated eggs, under the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation.
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