Taiwan Government’s reactions to the food safety issue regarding starch containing maleic anhydride
June 6, 2013
For the recent food safety incident in Taiwan related to maleic anhydride-modified industrial starch, the ROC (Taiwan) Government has already set up an inter-agency Task Force on Food Safety immediately after the tainted food products were discovered, in order to deal with the issue in an expeditious manner and safeguard Taiwan’s credibility in ensuring food safety. In addition, the Legislative Yuan has just passed an amendment to the Act Governing Food Sanitation on May 31, 2013, strengthening food inspection and management, and introducing tougher penalties for violations. The ministry of Foreign Affairs also organized a briefing for the diplomatic corps on June 4th with updated information on the food safety situation.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health has demanded that all tainted food products be promptly removed from shelves and destroyed, and that a risk alert mechanism be established to enhance food safety inspections and management nationwide. The government will also implement border control measures whereby any company that is found to have manufactured products containing unapproved additives or industrial starch will have to present safety certificated before it can export products to other countries.
The ROC (Taiwan) Government hopes these rapid and transparent response measures demonstrate its determination to safeguard food safety, prevent the export of tainted food products, and rebuild confidence in Taiwan’s food products.
Q&A about Manufactured Starch with Added Maleic Anhydride
Q1: What is maleic anhydride?
A1: (1) Maleic acid also goes by the name of maleic anhydride or is often referred to as water-loss apple anhydride.
(2) Maleic anhydride can be used when food is to come in contact with packaging materials and transforms to maleic acid when water is added. It is approved by the FDA of the U.S. and the EU as an indirect food additive and may also be present in trace amounts of lawful food additives such as maleic acid, fumaric acid, etc.
Q2: What is “manufactured starch”?
A2: “Manufactured starch” is obtained from grain or root crops after the natural starch goes through a small amount of chemical processing and is approved for use in food that is to be consumed. Since the viscosity, texture, and stability will be enhanced with treated starch, its use in processed food will increase the glutinosity and chewiness of the product.
Q3: Can maleic anhydride be used in manufactured starch for food products?
A3: Currently, Taiwan has approved manufactured starch for use in 21 food items. However, since maleic anhydride can not be included in modified starch, maleic anhydride has not been approved for use in manufactured starch for edible food.
Q4: Is food containing maleic acid toxic for human consumption?
A4: (1) According to scientific documentation, maleic acid has a low level of acute toxicity, does not contain toxins harmful to human reproductive development, genes, etc., and is non-carcinogenic.
(2) U.S. EPA research shows that rats that were daily given food containing 100mg/kg of maleic acid for 2 years were found not to have kidney damage. Other studies on animals indicate that a single dose (9mg/kg) of maleic acid will cause kidney toxicity in dogs, but dosages of 117mg/kg, 191mg/kg, or 29mg/kg fed to rats, mice, and monkeys, respectively, did not indicate any renal toxicity, which shows that sensitivity to maleic acid varies with different animals.
