July 7, 2012

Codex decision will not stir Taiwan's US beef policy

Taiwan's policy of allowing US beef imports with ractopamine will not be affected by the Codex Alimentarius Commission's latest vote on the safety of allowed levels of the leanness-enhancing drug in meat, a government spokesman said Thursday (July 5).

The result of the food safety body's meeting "will only be used as reference," Cabinet spokesman Hu Yu-wei said, adding that it will not influence the government's decision to conditionally ease the ban on American beef imports.

The commission was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization in 1963.

Hu's remarks came shortly after Codex member states voted 69-67 that it is safe to allow certain levels of ractopamine in beef and pork.