- Department:Evaluation Management Division
Announcement of 16 Toxic Substances, Including Sudan Dyes
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) announced 16 chemical substances as toxic chemicals on June 28, 2018. These chemicals include 14 potential illegal animal feed or food dye additives (as shown in the attached table), such as Sudan dyes and pentachlorophenyl laurate and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which are two persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that do not easily break down in the environment.
The EPA indicated that the 14 substances, including Sudan dyes, are industrial dyes. Cases have been reported in which some manufacturers have been tampering with food or animal feed to reduce cost or enhance product appearance, thus increasing human consumption risks. For example, Sudan dyes are often industrially applied to give color to furniture paint, shoe polish, floor wax, car wax, and grease. Despite being costly, Sudan dyes are fade-resistant. Food safety incidents, such as adding it to chili pepper powder, chili pepper sauce, and salted egg yolk, have been reported overseas. In Taiwan, the government initiated product sampling spot checks, which revealed Sudan dye tampering in commercial salted duck eggs in 2017.
The EPA indicated that the current announcement is a follow-up to last year's announcement on the management of 13 toxic substances concerning food safety. After evaluation, the current announcement consists of 14 toxic substances of potential food safety concerns, including Sudan dyes. The aim is to oversee material flow through management mechanisms from approval, reporting, to labeling following cross-departmental cooperation and announcements. As soon as food tampering is identified, the source of the material and any systematically distributed food manufacturers will be tracked down. Additionally, relevant health departments will also be notified to carry out corresponding punishments pursuant to the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation. Moreover, the associated departments will also execute the surveillance through exchanging information on managing chemical substances, conducting joint visits, and sharing relevant experience on executing relevant laws and regulations to reduce the occurrence of food safety events.
This announcement also added 2 POPs, namely pentachlorophenyl laurate and PFOA. The EPA also noted that pentachlorophenyl laurate is mainly used for textile and leather preservation treatments, and has been listed for elimination in the Stockholm Convention. On the other hand, although PFOA remains under review to be prohibited or listed for restricted production, PFOA will also be classified as a Type 4 toxic chemical substance in response to international management trends. The management thereof shall be reinforced according to the outcome of a review on the Convention.
The EPA stressed that regardless of the manufacturing, import, sales, usage, or storage of the 16 substances, applications must be submitted and approved prior to operation. Operational conditions must also be periodically reported, adopting an approval and reporting system to oversee material flow. Subsequent operators must process according to the rules within the specified deadlines, including carrying out periodic reports after January 1, 2019, completing labels prior to July 1, 2019, and acquiring approval documents prior to January 1, 2020 before proceeding to manufacturing, import, and sales operations. Failure to adhere to the aforementioned regulations shall lead to a fine of NT$60,000 to NT$5,000,000 according to the Toxic Chemical Substances Control Act. Moreover, the wording "prohibited for use in food and feed" shall be labeled on container packages for the 14 potential food safety substances to reduce potential misuse.
Additionally, trace perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) has been detected in groundwater monitoring wells. Therefore, the regulation concentration for PFOS was also revised from the existing 1% to 0.01% to expand the management scope.
The administrative procedures for the current amended announcement have been completed, including the draft notice, public hearing, and discussion according to the Administrative Procedure Act. Please see the EPA's News Area (https://enews.moenv.gov.tw/enews/fact_index.asp) and the Executive Yuan Gazette Online (https://gazette.nat.gov.tw/egFront/indexEng.do) for detailed contents and relevant data.
Appendix Background Data of the 14 Announced Toxic Chemical Substances
|
Name |
News Events or Relevant Use |
|---|---|
|
Sudan Dyes (No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, Red G, Orange G, Black B, and Red 7B) A total of 8 types of dyes |
Dyes not permitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW). Cases have been reported in Taiwan in which the manufacturers added the chemicals in chili pepper products, duck eggs, and salted egg yolk to increase color appeal (2017). |
|
Diethyl yellow |
A dye not permitted by the MOHW. Cases have been reported in Taiwan in which the manufacturers added the chemical in bean curds to increase color appeal (2014). |
|
Basic orange 2 |
A dye not permitted by the MOHW; mainly used as industrial dyestuff for textile products, leather, and wood products, and possibly used to color soybean food products, such as tofu skin and bean curd, and yellow croaker to increase product appeal. |
|
Auramine |
A dye not permitted by the MOHW; possibly used in food products, such as candies, takuan, noodles, bean curd, salted and dried Spanish mackerel, raw fish, and pickled mustard greens. |
|
Red No.2 |
A dye not permitted by the MOHW; often added to dye food products (e.g., candies, cookies, processed soybean food products, preserved fruits, and processed salted fish). |
|
Azorubine |
A dye not permitted by the MOHW but remains permitted for use in some countries and possibly added to food products, such as cookies and candies. |
|
Orange 2 |
A dye not permitted by the MOHW. Cases have been reported in Taiwan in which the chemical was used in snacks, such as candies, cookies, grilled cuttlefish, and processed red fish fillet (2013). |
