Factory found to be treating bean sprouts with unapproved chemical
Central News Agency
Taipei, Nov. 14 (CNA) Taichung police have uncovered an "underground" bean sprouts factory in the city that has been illegally using the chemical sodium hydrosulfite to bleach and preserve its products. The illegal factory, run by a local family surnamed Tsai for 66 years, was found to have used industrial grade sodium hydrosulfite to bleach its bean sprouts from 1999 to early 2014 before converting to food-grade sodium hydrosulfite, Taichung police said Friday.
The company started as an unregistered fresh bean sprout stand at a traditional market but has since evolved into a wholesaler supplying 1,500 kilograms of bean sprouts a day to traditional markets, food stands and high-end teppanyaki restaurants in Taichung, police said. During that time, the factory has been passed from one generation to the next over three generations.
A police investigation discovered that the Tsai family has been cultivating bean sprouts from mung and soy beans and then bleaching the vegetables in a solution with sodium hydrosulfite for five minutes to extend their shelf life. The factory produced about 1,500 kg of bean sprouts per day, which were sold for about NT$11.70 (US$0.38) per kg, Taichung police said.
The bleaching solution was a mix of 8 cubic meters of water and 6 grams of sodium hydrosulfite, a chemical normally used as a bleach in the textile and paper-making industries, according to police.
In Taiwan, food-grade sodium hydrosulfite can be used as an additive in some kinds of processed foods but is prohibited from being applied to fresh vegetables and fruits. The underground factory could face a fine ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$3 million for violating the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, said Chiu Hui-tzu, head of the food and drug administration division at the Taichung Health Bureau.
Chiu said that long-term consumption of bean sprouts treated with the chemical could cause damage to the respiratory system, and she advised consumers to not buy bean sprouts that are "too white" or "look pretty." Linkou Chang Gung Hospital clinical toxicologist Yen Chung-hai said that consuming a high concentration of the chemical, even if it is categorized as a legal food additive, could also hurt the digestive system, causing nausea, vomiting and stomachaches.
(By Chen Shwu-fen, Lung Pei-ning and Elizabeth Hsu)
