Dutch pork already in Taiwan safe to eat, say officials
TAIWAN - The Department of Health yesterday clarified that all Dutch pork and pig viscera already shipped to Taiwan are safe to eat even though the DOH has imposed an import ban on pork products from the Netherlands for fears of dioxin contamination Friday.The DOH imposed a temporary ban on the imports of Dutch pork and pig viscera last week after a foreign news wire reported that said a vat of dioxin-contaminated pork fat used to produce animal feed was sold to the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
According to the AP, Belgian, Dutch and German authorities have closed hundreds of farms over the past week.
Local media even reported that more than 300,000 kilograms of imported Dutch pork and pig bowels had recently been made into sausage casings and sold to consumers in Tainan and Taichung Cities and Pingtung and Miaoli Counties.
The report also said local health authorities in the four areas have banned sales of all imported Dutch pork and pig bowels.
However, after inspection and investigation, the DOH announced that Dutch pork and pig viscera already shipped to Taiwan, amounting to 293,240 kilograms, which includes 24,500 kilograms of pork and 268,740 kilograms of pig viscera, are safe for consumption.
The DOH stressed that the pork and meat products already imported from the Netherlands were produced before the dioxin contamination scare, which broke out in November.
In addition, the DOH added that two shipments of pork imported from the Netherlands on January 25, totalling around 480 tons, have been impounded and are under inspection.
Source: TaiwanNews
6 February 2006
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