Many flour products contain azodicarbonamide (ADA) and benzoyl peroxide (BPO) — which are legal additives in Taiwan — and the chemicals can have adverse effects in some people, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said, adding that it will evaluate whether regulations should be amended.

A report by the Chinese-language Apple Daily newspaper yesterday said that the color and texture of chewy white bread and white noodles can be induced by flour containing BPO and ADA, which were approved in food production more than 20 years ago.

Commenting on the report, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital nephrologist Yen Tzung-hai (顏宗海) said that “BPO is a flour bleaching agent and ADA is a quality improvement agent that is used as a foaming agent to make dough rise faster.”

ADA is also used in yoga mats and shoe soles to increase elasticity, and the chemical is banned as a food additive in Europe and Australia, Yen said, adding that the use of BPO as a food additive is banned in Europe and China.

BPO breaks down to benzoic acid and oxygen, Yen said, adding that people with weak liver function might have difficulty metabolizing benzoic acid, children who are exposed to benzoic acid might have higher risks of developing attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, and BPO can trigger allergic reactions or asthma in some people.

Taiwan allows the use of ADA in food products at levels below 45 parts per million (ppm) and BPO at levels below 60ppm, but the chemicals must be listed on product labels.

“Food companies that do not reveal [the use of BPO or ADA] on their labels may face a fine between NT$40,000 and NT$4 million [US$1,247 and US$124,727],” FDA Division of Food Safety official Hsu Chao-kai (許朝凱) said.

“To decide whether the chemicals should be removed from the list of food additives or whether regulations need to be amended to tighten standards, [the agency] will need to conduct more evaluations,” Hsu said.

The agency conducted the random inspection of 118 meat or poultry products at wholesale markets, egg farms, hyperrmarkets and supermarkets between March and May, testing for 126 types of drugs used on animals.

The products tested included 15 pork products, 20 meatball products, 42 chicken egg products, 16 duck egg products, 20 cow milk products and five goat milk products.

FDA Central Center for Regional Administration official Chen Tzu-ling (陳姿伶) said the affected chicken egg products were from Yu Chuan Farm (宇泉牧場) and Chang Hsiung Farm (章雄畜牧場), both in Pingtung County; and the duck eggs were from Hsing Lung Farm (興隆畜牧場) in Taichung.

Nicarbazin is a legal feed additive that contains a veterinary drug of a low toxicity, but it can cause harm to the kidneys if the concentration is high, the FDA said.

Council of Agriculture regulations stipulate that nicarbazin with a concentration between 100 parts per million (ppm) and 200ppm can be added to chicken feed, but chickens cannot be fed with nicarbazin within five days before products are brought to market and that feed containing nicarbazin cannot be given to egg-producing hens, the FDA said.

Chen said 2,732 eggs containing nicarbazin residue have been recalled and destroyed, and the farms could be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$200 million (US$1,874 and US$624,531), according to the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法).