On Tuesday, Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that 11 batches of cherries imported from the US were found to be in violation of food safety standards for prohibited pesticide residues. The recent investigation by the FDA found cherries to contain the pesticide mefentrifluconazole, which is permitted for use on some produce like cucumbers but banned for use on cherries in Taiwan.
The FDA said this year 33 batches of US cherries, or approximately 6,000 tons, have failed to meet food safety requirements. The latest finding led FDA Deputy Director Lin Chin-fu to announce a month-long ban on four US cherry producers.
Lin said the FDA wrote to the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on Monday, naming the four major US cherry producers - BV Farms, Chelan Fresh Marketing, Gebbers Farms and Northern Fruit Company – that were found to use prohibited pesticides. Apart from impounding the shipments, the FDA has suspended cherry imports from these cherry producers from August 21 to September 20, 2023.
Source: taiwannews.com.tw