Taipei: Two batches of imported American-made salsa, brought into Taiwan by Taiwan Kaldi Co., have been returned or destroyed after testing revealed the presence of the banned pesticide ethylene oxide, as announced by Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (TFDA).

According to Focus Taiwan, a total of 460.8 kilograms of the salsa, including both mild and hot varieties, were found to contain 0.1 milligram per kilogram of ethylene oxide (EtO). This substance is prohibited under Taiwan’s Standards for Pesticide Residue Limits in Foods. EtO is often used in pesticides to manage fungal and bacterial growth in dry food products, and long-term exposure may lead to headaches and cancer, as noted by the TFDA.

Liu Fang-ming, director of the TFDA’s Northern Taiwan Management Center, stated that this is the first non-compliant case from the importer Kaldi in the past six months. Although Kaldi’s previous products have adhered to regulations, their spice and condiment imports are now subject to 100 percent sampling from August 6 through March 24 next year. This is due to the firm being listed as an “affiliated company” of a business previously found to have products containing Sudan dye, a banned industrial dye, according to the TFDA. Liu did not disclose the name of this prior violator or the timing of that incident.

In a related incident, a batch of assorted pepper weighing 53.76 kilograms and imported from Vietnam by Macroscopic Inc. was found to contain Sudan IV and was destroyed at the border, the TFDA reported. According to the TFDA, from June 8 to December 8, one batch of other spices from Vietnam was also submitted for inspection and failed due to the presence of Sudan dye. From December 8, 2025, to December 7, 2026, the TFDA will implement 100 percent inspection of spices from Vietnam at the border, allowing entrance only after confirming compliance with Sudan dye regulations.

Additionally, the TFDA announced on Tuesday that a total of nine imports were intercepted at the border for noncompliance with Taiwan’s food safety laws. These included bamboo fungus from China, celery from the United States, frozen tripe from Brazil, char kway teow from Thailand, and cheese from France.