Dutch pork already in Taiwan safe to eat, say officials

The DOH imposed a temporary ban on the imports of Dutch pork and pig viscera last week after a foreign news wire reported that said a vat of dioxin-contaminated pork fat used to produce animal feed was sold to the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

According to the AP, Belgian, Dutch and German authorities have closed hundreds of farms over the past week.

Local media even reported that more than 300,000 kilograms of imported Dutch pork and pig bowels had recently been made into sausage casings and sold to consumers in Tainan and Taichung Cities and Pingtung and Miaoli Counties. The report also said local health authorities in the four areas have banned sales of all imported Dutch pork and pig bowels.

However, after inspection and investigation, the DOH announced that Dutch pork and pig viscera already shipped to Taiwan, amounting to 293,240 kilograms, which includes 24,500 kilograms of pork and 268,740 kilograms of pig viscera, are safe for consumption.

The DOH stressed that the pork and meat products already imported from the Netherlands were produced before the dioxin contamination scare, which broke out in November.

In addition, the DOH added that two shipments of pork imported from the Netherlands on January 25, totalling around 480 tons, have been impounded and are under inspection.

The dioxin incident does not pose a threat to food safety in Taiwan and consumers need not worry about the matter, the DOH stressed. "We have confirmed that all imported Dutch pork is safe," said Hsiao Tung-ming (蕭東銘), deputy director of DOH's Bureau of Food Safety.

Hou Sheng-mou (侯勝茂), head of DOH, said that his colleagues have gone to Tainan, Chiayi and Taichung Cities and Pingtung and Miaoli Counties to trace the imported Dutch pork and to investigate when the pork products were imported and produced, to ensure that all of the Dutch pork products currently in Taiwan are safe for consumption.

However, the DOH still emphasized in the statement that it would not lift its ban on the imports of pork and pig viscera from the Netherlands until the Dutch trade and investment office explains the whole matter to the DOH. According to the local media, the DOH might lift the ban sometime mid-February.

Dioxin accumulates in the body and has been linked to cancer, birth defects and organ failure.