Taiwan: Dihua Street inspected the origin of dried shiitake mushrooms and marked 6 pieces of suspected Chinese shiitake mushrooms

Published Jun 20, 2023

Tridge summary

The article highlights an ongoing inspection initiative by Taiwan's Agriculture and Food Administration, in collaboration with other government departments, to ensure the authenticity of shiitake mushrooms sold during the Dragon Boat Festival. This annual inspection aims to prevent the illegal importation of Chinese mushrooms, which are prohibited due to tariff protection for local produce post-WTO entry. This year, six out of seven samples suspected to be Chinese mushrooms, wrongly labeled as Vietnamese or South Korean, were identified for further testing. The team employs stable isotope and trace element detection techniques to verify the origin of the mushrooms and will release the results, potentially imposing penalties on stores found to sell falsely labeled Chinese mushrooms or engage in smuggling activities.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

In the past, Chinese shiitake mushrooms were illegally imported into Taiwan and sold as domestic shiitake mushrooms. The Dragon Boat Festival is approaching. Where do the shiitake mushrooms used to make rice dumplings come from? The Agriculture and Food Administration of the Council of Agriculture invited the Consumer Protection Department of the Executive Yuan, the Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Taipei City Government to inspect stores selling bulk and packaged shiitake mushrooms on Dihua Street. A total of 6 stores were inspected and 7 pieces were spot-checked. Among the products, 1 did not indicate the place of origin, and 6 were suspected to be Chinese shiitake mushrooms from the appearance. The samples have been sent to the Committee of Agriculture's "Miscellaneous Grains and Special Vegetables Assisting Identification Team" for identification. The identification results are expected to be released in 5 to 10 days. After Taiwan's ...

Source: Agriharvest