Food samples tested in Taichung: Nearly 30% of golden needles failed the test

In order to safeguard the public's dietary health, the Taichung Municipal Government Health Bureau today announced the implementation status of the "Commercial Food Sampling Program." A total of 1,813 food items in 26 categories, including processed agricultural products such as daylilies, aquatic products, and beverages, were tested for bleaching agents, preservatives, microorganisms, and pesticide residues. The top five foods with the highest failure rates were daylilies (27.8%), candied and pickled foods (22.5%), water filling stations (14.7%), cold drinks and ice cream (14.6%), and fresh fruits and vegetables (12.9%).

The Taichung City Government Health Bureau inspected commercially available food and found that day lilies had the highest failure rate, mostly because unscrupulous businesses added bleach to increase color. (Photo provided by Taichung City Government Health Bureau)

The Taichung City Government Health Bureau stated that in order to increase people's willingness to buy, unscrupulous businesses would add bleach to enhance the bright color of golden needles. It is recommended that people do a preliminary screening based on appearance before purchasing. If the color is too bright and beautiful, and it smells pungent and sour, bleach may have been added. People who mistakenly buy it can also soak it in 45°C warm water for about 30 to 40 minutes before cooking, which can remove about 80% of the bleach.

For candied and pickled foods with more than 20% failure rate, businesses may add preservatives to preserve them due to poor storage environment and lack of refrigeration measures at the sales location. People should try to choose candied fruits and pickles that are fully packaged and labeled with origin, additives, etc. to avoid buying products containing excessive preservatives.

As for the most common concern about pesticide residues in fresh fruits and vegetables, the Department of Health recommends that the public remove the outer leaves when washing vegetables, rinse the roots of the vegetables with clean water, soak them in water for 10 to 20 minutes, and rinse them 2 to 3 times with running tap water to wash out any residual pesticides. In addition, pesticides will be decomposed during heating and cooking, so you can open the lid of the pot when cooking to allow the pesticides to evaporate with the steam.