I-Me: Providing Clenbuterol Testing Data to the President

A few days ago, a Kuomintang legislator cited data from the I-Mei Inspection Laboratory and announced that CAS pork products from Taiwan Livestock and Xindongyang businesses contained salbutamol, a lean meat enhancer that is thousands of times more toxic than ractopamine, triggering backlash and criticism from the industry. In response to this, I-Mei Food Company released a statement written by General Manager Gao Zhiming at noon on the 16th, stating that it had sent the inspection data to President Ma Ying-jeou, hoping that the government could adjust and build a safe food environment as soon as possible.

Gao Zhiming, general manager of I-Mei Food Company, issued a statement at noon, claiming that he had provided the government with data on the presence of clenbuterol in CAS pork. (Photo/taken from the official website of "I-Mei Food Company")

Gao Zhiming stated that I-Mei Food Company's testing method for clenbuterol is in accordance with the Department of Health's Announcement No. 1001900952 issued on April 7, 2011: "Test Methods for Animal Drug Residues in Food - Multiple Residue Analysis of Beta-receptor Antigens."

The statement mentioned that the method announced by the Department of Health did not set a detection limit for the test method, but I-Mei Laboratory, based on the manufacturer's self-management requirements, adopted a relatively rigorous detection limit of 0.2 ppb for the detection of clenbuterol. Moreover, I-Mei is not clear about the detection limit concentration that other testing agencies have determined to be “not detected”? I-Mei Laboratory only conducts testing on samples submitted for inspection. All inspection data from the laboratory is used as a reference for the internal quality control mechanism and "is not disclosed to the public."

The statement pointed out that I-Mei has accumulated experience in food safety inspections over a long period of time, so it was able to safely weather the storms of melamine, plasticizers, etc. Now, facing the public consumption crisis caused by clenbuterol, it is also committed to working together with all sectors to solve the problem and increase the added value of agricultural products. It is applying the expertise that has been deeply rooted in Taiwan for many years to find a way out and solutions for the current agricultural dilemma and the general public, catering operators, and sales channels.

In his statement, Gao Zhiming mentioned that I-Mei Company had proactively written a letter to the president in his own name in early March, providing inspection data for the government's reference, hoping that the president would make adjustments as soon as possible to build "safe food and protect the health of the people" and "create a fair management and competition environment for farmers and fishermen, and the confidence that consumers can enjoy food with peace of mind."

In addition, Gao Zhiming also apologized for the disturbance caused by the release of the I-Mei laboratory report during this period, which caused trouble or misunderstanding to consumers, catering operators, sales channels, and pig farmers.