Local news reports that Taiwan is to return or destroy a batch of a famous tea brand and ground chilli from Thailand because of insecticide residues look bad for Thailand, which promotes itself as the kitchen of the world.
According to the reports, Taiwanese food and drug authorities found the residue fipronil, an insecticide that kills ants, beetles, cockroaches, fleas, ticks, and so on, in Cha TraMue, a well-known red tea brand and a brand of chilli, at levels exceeding its safety standards of .002 parts per million.
The Taiwanese FDA listed the cases on its website on Nov 3.
The tea company, perhaps in a bid to curb damage in the domestic market, promptly explained that the fipronil-tainted batch is separate from the product on sale in the local market.
But the comments are not very helpful. In fact, the company's remarks do not necessarily amount to a guarantee that the products it sells in the domestic market, or elsewhere, are free of fipronil -- a substance which is also used widely in well-known ingredients like basil and holy basil. Rice farmers are familiar with this insecticide as well.
The cases reaffirm the fact that Taiwan maintains stringent food safety measures. Back in 2017, the territory returned 30,000 items of canned pineapple from Thailand because they were found to have contained saccharin. Taiwan does not allow any additives in canned products.
It's a different matter in Thailand. This is because Thailand's FDA does not impose safety standards for this type of insecticide or several others.
In recent past years, Thailand fought a bitter war with agro giants over proposals to ban extremely toxic chemicals, namely paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos, amid heavy lobbying by businesses and interest groups which managed to force the authorities to postpone the proposed ban time and again.
Finally the ban took effect this year for paraquat and chlorpyrifos, while glyphosate earned an exemption due to concerns from US businesses that such a ban would affect imports of agricultural products from the US that still use the substance. This prompted the Thai government to make a U-turn at the last minute.
But even with the ban on paraquat and chlorpyrifos, the measure still looks farcical given the fact that agriculture authorities have been too slow in preparing for the change in which farmers must go chemical-free. The government must provide knowledge and funding for farmers hoping to leave the chemical behind.
Without creating an economy that fosters organic farming and sustainable agriculture by providing subsidies to boost the prices of chemical-free farm products, the ban will end up as a flop as conventional farmers will continue their fight to overturn the ban.
In the short term, the tea company and chilli producer have to look for alternative sources for their products to make sure they will not be rejected for export and also ensure the safety of local consumers. The state should step in and help in this matter and also make food safety a national agenda item.
As the kitchen of the world, Thailand needs more than good taste to bolster its reputation. Thailand should also be able to boast about food safety, and that requires an all-out effort.