Food and Drug Administration Proposes Revisions to Standards for Sardines, Saury, and Sea Urchins, Setting Separate Cadmium Limits

(Central News Agency, Taipei, June 30) - Sardines, saury, and sea urchins, popular among many consumers, previously did not have separate heavy metal cadmium limit regulations and were managed under categories for other fish. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced proposed revisions to relevant standards, adding separate management limits for these three types of aquatic products. The public comment period is 60 days.

The draft amendment to Article 6 and Annex 1 of Table 3 of the "Hygienic Standards for Contaminants and Toxins in Food" was announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare's FDA yesterday. To strengthen the management of heavy metals in aquatic products such as Japanese pilchard (commonly known as sardines), saury, and sea urchins, separate maximum limits for cadmium have been established.

Hsu Chao-kai, head of the FDA's Food Safety Department, told media today that this revision was primarily initiated by an application from the Fisheries Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture. Sardines, saury, and sea urchins are all unique aquatic products in Taiwan, especially in the Penghu region. However, they are currently managed under the category of "other fish" rather than having independent management limits based on scientific assessment.

Following background value investigations and dietary risk assessments conducted through commissioned projects, the Fisheries Agency applied to the FDA to add new standards. Hsu Chao-kai explained that previously, sardines and saury were managed under "other fish" with a standard of 0.05 mg/kg, and sea urchins were managed under the cadmium standard for "other aquatic animals" at 0.3 mg/kg. In the future, the standard for sardines will be 0.15 mg/kg, for saury 0.1 mg/kg, and for sea urchins 1.0 mg/kg.

Hsu Chao-kai emphasized that this will provide more appropriate and scientifically assessed management regulations for specific aquatic products, which is also a principle followed internationally in establishing contaminant management standards. The FDA has conducted random inspections of heavy metals in aquatic animals over the years and will continue to do so in the future.

The FDA stated that if food is found to exceed cadmium limits upon inspection, it will be confiscated and destroyed in accordance with Article 52 of the "Food Safety and Sanitation Act." If businesses fail to make corrections within the prescribed period, they will be fined between NT$30,000 and NT$3 million in accordance with Article 48 of the same act. (Editor: Li Heng-shan) 1150630

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