December 11, 2007

 

Taiwan finds more bone fragments in US beef shipment
 

 

Taiwan's Department of Health (DOH) said Saturday (December 8, 2007) it found two bone fragments in a shipment of US beef, marking the third such case within the last two weeks.

 

The beef was from Greeley, Colo.-based JBS-Swift, which has been banned from shipping its products to Taiwan since Nov. 27, according to the China Post. Hsieh Ting-hung, deputy director of the DOH's Bureau of Food Safety,

 

DOH accepted the Taipei importer's inspection application because the beef in question was already on its way to Taiwan in mid-November.

 

The two pieces of bone fragments measured 2.4 centimeters and 4.8 centimeters in size, respectively Hsieh Ting-hung, deputy director of the DOH's Bureau of Food Safety, said.

 

Taiwan accepts only boneless US beef from animals younger than 30 months of age.

 

Two bone fragments were also found in a JBS-Swift shipment in late November.

 

Earlier, Taiwan banned products from Cargill Meat Solutions' plant in Nebraska for finding bone fragments.

 

Fragments found in beef shipments from the US have caused shipments to be returned or threats for total bans to be issued from South Korea and Japan.

 

The countries allow only boneless beef from the US due to fears of mad cow disease.

 

Besides requiring boneless beef, Japan also insist on US beef coming from cattle less than 20 months old.

 

US officials are working to persuade Asian countries to accept boneless US beef and lift age restrictions.