Food and Drug Administration intercepts solanine in potatoes "first case in half a year" and increases sampling rate to 20%~50%

The Food and Drug Administration announced today (6th) the results of a border inspection. 339,580 kilograms of "fresh potatoes" imported by Huayuan Food Company from the United States were found to contain excessive solanine and must be returned or destroyed. The Food and Drug Administration stated in the evening that the random inspection rate will be increased to 20% to 50% in the future, and up to 100% can be inspected batch by batch.

This batch of "fresh potatoes" exported from the United States was a total of 119 batches of U.S. potatoes submitted for inspection from March 28 to September 28 this year. This violation was the first batch that did not meet the regulations. "Glycoalkaloids, total" was detected at 248mg/kg, exceeding the 200mg/kg stipulated by my country.

Glycoalkaloids, also known as solanine or solanine, are natural toxins naturally produced by solanaceous plants such as potatoes to resist pests and diseases. Generally, boiling or cooking cannot completely destroy or eliminate their toxicity. If the potato has sprouted or turned green, there is still a risk of poisoning even if part of it is cut off or cooked.

The Food and Drug Administration explained that for illegal businesses, the Food and Drug Administration has upgraded its subsequent imported products from general batch inspection to enhanced batch inspection in accordance with the "Measures for Import Inspection of Food and Related Products", with the random inspection rate increased to 20% to 50%. If there are further non-compliances in the future, the intensity of random inspection will be further increased in accordance with regulations, up to 100% of batch-by-batch inspections.

In addition, after harvesting Chinese cabbage, unscrupulous traders in China soaked the roots in a solution of the first-level carcinogen "formaldehyde (commonly known as formalin)" to extend the shelf life. It was recently reported that the cabbage was shipped to Vietnam, South Korea and other places for processing or washing. Our Food and Drug Administration conducted 100% random inspections at the border after the incident. Today we also announced that 18,900 kilograms of Vietnamese cabbage were seized, and 0.02 ppm of the pesticide residue triclosan was detected in violation of regulations.