According to an article from The Edge Markets, Taiwan recently seized shipments of Driscoll’s strawberries and Sunkist oranges imported from the US. They were found to contain excessive levels of herbicide or insecticide residues.
A18,889 kilogram shipment of Sunkist oranges was seized after samples tested on April 1 were found to contain residues of the banned herbicide simazine at a concentration of 0.03 parts per million, the FDA said.
Meanwhile, a 1,523 kg shipment of Driscoll's brand strawberries was rejected after being found to contain residues of the insecticide novaluron at a level of 0.7 ppm, slightly over the legal limit of 0.5 ppm, the agency said.
Simazine, with excess levels found in the orange shipment, is a herbicide used to control weeds on farms. Every country has established different MRLs for the different products used in farming practices. The United States tolerates an MRL level of 0.25 ppm for Simazine whereas in some other countries Simazine is not allowed to be used. Taiwan does not have an MRL for this herbicide.
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