Hairy crabs arrive at Taichung City Health Bureau for random inspection

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is the best time to taste hairy crabs. Taiwan has finally opened up the import of hairy crabs from the mainland after a 6-year absence. This morning, the Taichung Municipal Government Health Bureau went to Wuqi Fishing Port to sample animal drug residues in hairy crabs. The test results are expected to be released in 4 weeks.

Chen Shuhui, chief of the Food and Drug Administration of the Central City Health Bureau, personally led a team to Wuqi Fishing Port to sample hairy crabs. (Photo provided by Taichung City Government Health Bureau)

Chen Shuhui, chief of the Food and Drug Administration Section of the Taichung Municipal Government's Health Bureau, said that six years ago, hairy crabs from mainland China were found to contain banned drugs, so the inspection threshold was raised and no businesses reported them since then. This year, hairy crabs have returned to the market, and businesses have already reported nine batches of hairy crabs from Liaoning, Jiangsu and Hubei provinces, which will be gradually put on the market in markets, hypermarkets and other places.

Last year, the Central City Health Bureau sampled four hairy crabs and checked for 51 animal drug residues in five categories, including chloramphenicol, tetracycline, malachite green, nitrofurans and sulfonamides, and all were in compliance with regulations. Chen Shuhui emphasized that since consuming nitrofurans can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, headache and fatigue, it is even more necessary to monitor it for the public.

In order to prevent people from buying hairy crabs of unknown origin, Chen Shuhui reminded people to proactively ask businesses about their product history, avoid buying raw crabs from mobile vendors or on the roadside, check market prices, and not be greedy for small profits. When cooking at home, they should also rinse them thoroughly with tap water for about 2-3 minutes before cooking.

Huang Meina, director of the Taichung Municipal Government's Health Bureau, said that the inspection items for imported hairy crabs from mainland China have been expanded from 16 to 36. The purpose is to safeguard the health of the people. When people are tasting autumn crabs, they should try to eat only one hairy crab a day to reduce the burden on the body because every 100 grams of hairy crab contains 80 mg of cholesterol.