Taiwan: Retail firm used bleach to ‘cure’ bean sprouts

A vegetable retail firm in Greater Taichung, which has been selling bean sprouts for more than six decades, has allegedly been using industrial-grade bleach since last year to “cure” his bean sprouts so they appear whiter and are less prone to rot, Taichung police said yesterday. The retailer allegedly sold vegetables treated with diluted sodium dithionite to traditional markets, street vendors and other restaurants, the police said.

During a recent joint operation with the Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office and other government agencies in a sweep of Beitun District (北屯), they found five barrels of sodium dithionite weighing 233kg, 700kg of bean sprouts and more than 9,000 litres of diluted sodium dithionite, as well as export lists, the police said.

The Criminal Investigation Bureau said food-grade sodium dithionite and other sulfites could be considered food additives under the Standards for Specification, Scope, Application and Limitation of Food Additives (食品添加物使用範圍及限量暨規格標準), but were not allowed to be used on vegetables sold fresh.

The factory produced roughly 1,500kg of bean sprouts per day, the police said.

Police said that although Tsai Jui-yih and the factory’s manager Hao Tai-hua (郝代華) had admitted yesterday to soaking bean sprouts in sodium dithionite, they said they were unaware that it was illegal.

Meanwhile, city government food and drug management division head Chiu Hui-tzu (邱惠慈) reminded consumers not to pick the “best-looking” products when visiting traditional markets. If vegetables remain “fresh” after standing in room temperature for some time, it is very possible they were treated with illegal additives, she said, adding that consumers should thoroughly wash their vegetables to ensure food safety.

Source: taipeitimes.com