Nearly 10 percent of 877 fruits, vegetables and agricultural products selected for pesticide residue tests in March and April were non-compliant, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. The 82 non-compliant products, or 9.4 percent of the total, included strawberries imported from Japan and roses imported from Iran, according to the FDA.
The tests, part of the FDA's pesticide residue monitoring program, covered 611 samples specifically chosen for enhanced monitoring, of which 79 samples failed to meet regulatory standards, and 266 randomly selected samples, with three non-compliant.
Among the non-compliant items, strawberries imported from Japan were found to contain 1.13 ppm of isopyrazam, a pesticide that is not allowed, and the importer was fined NT$60,000 (US$2013), said FDA Southern Center Director Wei Jen-ting (魏任廷). Another batch of strawberries imported by the same importer during the same March-April monitoring period was found with 0.19 ppm of spirotetramat, another pesticide not permitted in strawberries, according to Wei.
Because it was the importer's second violation, it was given an increased fine of NT$120,000, Wei said. Also on the non-compliant list were roses imported from Iran, which was found to contain 0.15 ppm of cypermethrin, a pesticide not authorized for use in the product, according to Wei.
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