Taiwan has pulled hundreds of pounds of U.S. beef from supermarket shelves after detecting small amounts of a banned feed additive in imported meat.
The Taiwanese health department said two supermarkets –– Costco and RT-MART –– had recalled the products which were found to contain ractopamine, a leanness-promoting drug which is legal in the United States, but banned in Taiwan and several other parts of the world, including the European Union. It is sold under the name Paylean.
The move came after three out of 24 U.S. beef samples taken from three hypermarkets in the capital city were found to contain Paylean in concentrations up to 2.84 parts per billion.
Local media reported that the bulk of the affected products may have already been sold and eaten. But Taiwanese health officials reassured consumers that this posed no immediate threat to health. "The level of the drug found was between 0.64 to 2.84 ppb (parts per billion), which is way below the daily intake standard set by the World Health Organization," said Kang Chao-chou, director-general of Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration.
U.S. officials were reportedly unhappy with Taiwan's hard-line stance, repeating previous calls for a relaxation of the country's rules on ractopamine residues. Past experience suggest this may be difficult however, as a similar case in 2007 prompted mass protests on the streets of Taipei.
