December 7, 2011

Japan's Meiji milk in Taiwan passes radiation safety checks

Meiji milk powder products sold in Taiwan have all passed radiation safety checks and are unaffected by Japan's recalls provoked by traces of radioactive cesium detected in its infant formula, the firm said Tuesday (Dec 6).

Tsai Chung-cheng, a spokesman for the firm's Taiwan branch, said that all of Meiji's powdered milk products sold in Taiwan through authorized retailers come from Australia and have not been contaminated by the radioactive substance.

The manufacturer in Japan voluntarily recalled about 400,000 cans of its "Meiji Step" powdered milk, which was found to contain between 21.5 and 30.8 becquerels of cesium per kilogramme of the formula, he said.

The legal limit for the radioactive substance is 200 becquerels in Japan and 370 becquerels in Taiwan, he added.

In addition, the Department of Health said that day that a total of nine batches of Meiji's powdered milk have been imported to Taiwan since the Fukushima nuclear crisis, none of which have failed radiation safety checks.

Taiwan's Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) said that consumers who purchased the affected formula from local online stores can demand a refund.

The commission said that it and foreign relations officials will also provide assistance for consumers who have purchased the formula from foreign websites and want their money refunded.

Meanwhile, retail chains Carrefour, FE-amart, RT-Mart and Pxmart all noted that they do not sell Meiji's infant formula in their outlets in Taiwan.