Taipei: A batch of fried chicken batter imported from the United States was among 10 shipments of food and beverages recently ordered to be returned or destroyed for containing excessive pesticide residue, Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) reported Tuesday. The affected shipment, totaling 1,077.75 kilograms, was imported by the Taipei branch of Hasmore Ltd., a Hong Kong-based restaurant group with several subsidiaries in Taiwan.

According to Focus Taiwan, the product, marketed under the name Crispy Batter Mix, was found to contain 1.4 micrograms per kilogram of the banned pesticide ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen. Consequently, the importer will now face increased scrutiny, with inspections at the border set at 20-50 percent, up from the standard 2-10 percent, stated Cheng Wei-chih, head of the TFDA’s Northern Center for Regional Administration.

In a related issue, three batches of fresh durian from Vietnam, totaling 43,784 kg, were also stopped at the border for containing cadmium, a heavy metal. The concentration levels ranged from 0.07 mg/kg to 0.18 mg/kg, exceeding the national safety limit of 0.05 mg/kg. The importers, including Z and C Fruit Trading Co. Ltd., Zhateng Enterprise Shop, and Trillion Victory Trade Co., Ltd., will now undergo batch-by-batch inspections for cadmium, rather than the previous 20-50 percent.

The TFDA noted that 313 batches of fresh durian from Vietnam were inspected at the border from November 5, 2024, to May 5, 2025, with four, or 1.3 percent, failing inspections due to excessive levels of the heavy metal. Fresh durian from Vietnam is subject to 20-50 percent inspections at the border from April 1 to June 12 this year.

Other problematic imports included fresh blueberries from Japan, partially fermented fragment tea from Vietnam, cumin seeds from India, wake-up carbonated drink from Vietnam, and dried chili from China.