Bans melt in Taiwanese plasticiser scandal

By Ankush Chibber

- Last updated on GMT

Bans melt in Taiwanese plasticiser scandal

Related tags Taiwan Export Import

Taiwanese food exports are finally free of all border controls in major target markets, with Malaysia being the latest to allow the former’s food products without plasticiser-free certification.

A statement from Malaysia’s Ministry of Economic Affairs said it would remove import controls on all of Taiwan’s food products, barring cookies and fruit drinks, beginning March 1 this year.

Malaysia had enforced export restrictions on Taiwan in late May last year when Taiwan's health department announced that it had found food additive suppliers to have illegally added DEHP in clouding agents and sold toxic agents to a number of food and beverage producers.

DEHP [a commonly used abbreviation for Bis (2-ethylhexyl)phthalate] is a plasticiser that has been found to cause hormonal malfunctions in children if consumed in large doses.

In the fallout, along with many other Asian and Western nations, Malaysia banned the import of some products like fruit drinks and syrups, while requiring safety certificates for others.

For now the Malaysian ministry said that it would continue to monitor imports of cookies and fruit drinks since it still has concerns over possible plasticiser contamination in such products, but will review the situation on March 16.

“We still have some concerns regarding these products. They are not banned from import, but we still need the certification for them. We will review the situation a month later,”​ a ministry spokesman told FoodNavigator-Asia.

Situation inching to ‘normal’

In August last year the Taiwanese government told representatives of more than 10 countries for the first time that it had brought the plasticiser contamination problem under complete control.

After the scandal first broke the Taiwanese government ruled safety certificates for the export of five types of food products—sports drinks, juices, teas, syrups and jams, and tablets and powders—potentially tainted with industrial plasticisers will be mandatory.

As it stands, most of the major export markets have lifted their restrictions on Taiwanese imports: China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore have all recanted their requirement that Taiwanese food exporters provide official plasticiser-free certification.

The ban was particularly damaging to Taiwan’s soft drinks industry, which saw neighbouring China alone prohibiting 900 such products, a spokesperson from Taiwan Beverage Industries Association told FoodNavigator-Asia.

“We are getting back to an almost similar situation with exports. We do not have a material estimate of losses suffered by industry but our exports dropped by almost 50% in this sector. The damage to reputation is unquantifiable,”​ he said.

Related news

Show more

Related products

show more

Elevate your snacks with novel cheese flavours

Elevate your snacks with novel cheese flavours

Content provided by Givaudan | 23-Feb-2024 | Product Brochure

Aside from conducting desk research to understand snacking preferences and taste profiles among consumers in the Asia Pacific, Givaudan also embarked on...

How Korean culture penetrated the APAC food industry?

How Korean culture penetrated the APAC food industry?

Content provided by BIOSPRINGER, natural Yeast ingredients | 17-Jan-2024 | White Paper

Korean food is on-trend in Asia. We mainly find Korean taste in noodles, sauces & dressings, pickled condiments, ready meals and savory snacks.

Empowering Women Through the Life Cycle

Empowering Women Through the Life Cycle

Content provided by Glanbia Nutritionals | 07-Nov-2023 | Product Brochure

As discussions around female empowerment widen, and advances in women’s health access and provision accelerate, the implications for business, healthcare,...

Analyzing the unknown threat from Microplastics

Analyzing the unknown threat from Microplastics

Content provided by Agilent Technologies | 06-Nov-2023 | Infographic

Microplastics are any plastic-derived synthetic solid particle or polymeric matrix, ranging in size from 1 µm to 5 mm and insoluble in water.

Related suppliers

1 comment

How did it happen?

Posted by Tom Clarke,

What is the benefit to producers of adding this chemical to the products? Was it intentional or accidental?

Report abuse

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars

Food & Beverage Trailblazers

F&B Trailblazers Podcast