No conscience! More than 2,000 hamburgers laced with ractopamine have been consumed

The New Taipei City Health Bureau randomly inspected breakfast chain stores and found that the "Midian Burger Meatballs" of the Aihong fast food chain contained 0.4 ppb of clenbuterol (ractopamine), which violated regulations. After tracing the source, it was discovered that the problematic meat was produced by "Lifang Food", a subsidiary of Shusen Company. The Yunlin County Government Health Bureau went to the factory in Douliu City for inspection on the morning of the 4th and confirmed that the batch of problematic raw meat, 136 kilograms, had been made into 260 kilograms of hamburgers and sold to a breakfast chain in northern Taiwan, of which 119 kilograms were to be destroyed and an estimated 2,820 hamburgers had been eaten.

Inspectors from the Yunlin County Health Bureau went to the Douliu City meat processor "Lifang Food" to investigate the whereabouts of American meat. (Photo courtesy of Yunlin County Health Bureau)

Wu Yinglang, chief of the Food and Drug Administration Division of the Yunlin County Health Bureau, said that currently beef muscle can contain 10 ppb of clenbuterol, but it must not be detected in beef offal and pork. Otherwise, a fine ranging from NT$60,000 to NT$6 million will be imposed in accordance with the Food Sanitation Management Act.

The investigation found that Shusen Company imported meat from the United States on March 31 this year, totaling 23,000 kilograms. In July, it transferred 136 kilograms of meat to "Lifang Food" in Douliu, Yunlin as raw meat, which was then made into 260 kilograms of hamburger meat. On August 29, the raw meat was sold to two upstream distributors, "Warders Food Store" (120 kilograms of hamburger meat) and "Aihong Fast Food Chain" (140 kilograms of hamburger meat). Among them, the hamburger meat of "Waters Food Store" was found to contain the banned drug green mycin by the health authorities.

In addition to the raw meat from Douliu City's Lifang Food, the rest of Shusen's American meat is currently being inspected by the Department of Health. It is reported that one hamburger meatball weighs 50 grams, and one kilogram can make 20 breakfast hamburgers. This time, "Lifang Food"'s 260 kilograms of hamburger meat is estimated to be able to make 2,820 hamburgers.

The investigation pointed out that the hamburger meat from Walters Food Store is supplied to eight breakfast restaurants in Greater Taipei, including the Meirmei Breakfast Restaurant on Xinyi Road, Banqiao District, New Taipei City. As for its upstream manufacturer Dongying Company, it purchased meat from Xiangli Company in Taipei City and Huangcheng Company in Chiayi City. A total of 72 kilograms of meat has been sold out.

As for the Aihong fast food chain, it is a breakfast shop and also a meat supplier, supplying 17 breakfast shops in Keelung, Greater Taipei, Taoyuan and other places, including 4 Aihong chain stores, the Gishburger chain breakfast shop on Xiyuan Road in Taipei City, and 3 Oriental Beauty chain stores in Keelung. The two unqualified businesses have sold 260 kilograms of hamburger meat, and it is estimated that more than 2,820 hamburgers with drug residues have been consumed by the public.