{"id":74433,"date":"2016-05-30T12:21:13","date_gmt":"2016-05-30T11:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=74433"},"modified":"2016-05-30T13:41:49","modified_gmt":"2016-05-30T12:41:49","slug":"taiwan-recalls-quaker-oats-products-imported-from-us-after-detecting-glyphosate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2016\/05\/taiwan-recalls-quaker-oats-products-imported-from-us-after-detecting-glyphosate\/","title":{"rendered":"Taiwan Recalls Quaker Oats Products Imported from US after Detecting Glyphosate"},"content":{"rendered":"

29 May 2016 – <\/em>More bad news<\/a> for Quaker Oats. A random inspection from Taiwan\u2019s Food and Drug Administration (FDA)\u00a0detected\u00a0glyphosate<\/a> in 10 out of 36 oatmeal products it tested, exceeding the country\u2019s legal limit.<\/p>\n

\"Quaker<\/a>

Quaker Oats products sold in Taiwan were found to contain glyphosate levels exceeding the legal limit following a random inspection from the country\u2019s FDA. Photo credit: Standard Foods Corporation<\/p><\/div>\n

The 10 products, including those from the Quaker Oats brand, were found to have glyphosate residue levels between 0.1 parts per million (ppm) and 1.8ppm, the agency said, prompting a recall of nearly 62,000 kilograms of oatmeal.<\/p>\n

Taiwan does not permit residues levels of glyphosate to exceed 0.1 ppm, and the companies that violated the regulated standard may face fines between NT$60,000-$200 million (USD$1,800-$6 million).<\/p>\n

Taiwan\u2019s FDA said that\u00a0glyphosate is an herbicide often used in other countries, but because Taiwan does not produce their oats it\u00a0has\u00a0a\u00a0zero tolerance policy on glyphosate residue in oatmeal products in the absence of a set maximum residue limits,\u00a0the Taipei Times<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n

Glyphosate is the main ingredient in\u00a0Monsanto\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0flagship herbicide Roundup, which is sprayed on \u201cRoundup Ready\u201d crops that are genetically modified\u00a0to resist the weedkiller.\u00a0As it happens, Taiwan has strict regulations<\/a> on genetically modified organisms<\/a>\u00a0(GMOs).<\/p>\n

Commercial cultivation of genetically modified\u00a0crops is banned in Taiwan, and the country has mandated labels on all food products containing GMO ingredients.\u00a0Additionally, as EcoWatch reported<\/a>, in\u00a0December 2015, Taiwan\u00a0banned schools across the nation\u00a0from serving GMOs to students, citing health and safety concerns.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/EcoWatch\/status\/687269212356739073\/photo\/1?ref_src=twsrc^tfw<\/p>\n

According to the China Post<\/a>, most of the tainted oatmeal was imported from the U.S.\u00a0Quaker\u2019s\u00a0Old Fashioned Quaker Oats and Quaker Quick 1-minute Oats that are sold at the country\u2019s supermarkets, Carrefour Taiwan, Costco Wholesale Corp and RT-Mart, were named in the inspection.\u00a0Other\u00a0brands that were\u00a0flagged include\u00a0Coach\u2019s Oats, Bob\u2019s Red Mill Instant Rolled Oats, Fifty50 Hearty Cut Oatmeal and McCann\u2019s Imported Irish Oatmeal, Australia Fine Oat Flakes and oatmeal by Fengyuan Food.<\/p>\n

Standard Foods Corporation\u2014which has a licensing agreement with Quaker Oats allowing it to produce, distribute and market Quaker products in Taiwan\u2014said in a statement that the oatmeal they produce in Taiwan have all passed FDA tests, and have no connection to the U.S.-imported Quaker Oats sold by other trade companies. The company insisted all their products are \u201cmade in Taiwan,\u201d with main ingredients imported from Australia.<\/p>\n

Wang Te-yuan, an\u00a0FDA Northern Center for Regional Administration official, said this was the agency\u2019s first random inspection of oatmeal products flowing into the market, media reports noted.<\/p>\n

Wang explained\u00a0that the maximum level of glyhosate residues currently allowed in foods is 30 ppm in the U.S., 20 ppm in Japan and the European Union, 15 ppm in Canada and 0.1 ppm in Australia.<\/p>\n

Taiwan\u2019s\u00a0FDA\u00a0also\u00a0cited studies\u00a0suggesting that animals can tolerate considerable exposure to glyphosate, and that it does not harm their nervous systems, but high exposure in rats has caused slight weight loss, enlargement of the liver and kidney inflammation, the Taipei Times wrote.<\/p>\n

According to the China post, \u201cpreviously, only genetically modified soybeans were tested for glyphosate at customs, but the decision was made to also test oatmeal after reports indicated issues with those products overseas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, a group of consumers in New York, California and Illinois filed a\u00a0class action lawsuit<\/a>\u00a0challenging Quaker Oats\u2019s claim of being \u201c100 Percent Natural\u201d despite having traces of the weedkiller\u00a0glyphosate<\/a>\u00a0found in its\u00a0famous oatmeal.<\/p>\n

Quaker issued a defense to the\u00a0New York Times<\/a>, stating, \u201cAny levels of glyphosate that may remain are trace amounts and significantly below any limits which have been set by the EPA as safe for human consumption.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Quaker Oats Accused of Being 'Deceptive and Misleading' After Glyphosate Detected in Oatmeal https:\/\/t.co\/CtZ7HW7ifb<\/a> @pesticideaction<\/a><\/p>\n

— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) May 3, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n