Pork found to contain salbutamol in Taiwan

The chief of Taiwan's executive authority, Sean Chen, Tuesday called for more exacting food standards to be drawn up to ensure safety, after pork for sale on the island was found to contain leanness-enhancing stimulant salbutamol.

Three pork products sold in Taiwan were found to contain residues of salbutamol, in a sample survey conducted since March 8 that examined 668 meat products, according to the executive authority when it quoted the results of the survey.

The discovery came amid an ongoing public debate following the executive authority's proposal to conditionally lift a ban on the import of ractopamine-laced beef from the United States.

Both salbutamol and ractopamine are used to promote the growth of lean meat in food animals. Ractopamine is allowed in animal feed in more than 20 countries, but is banned in Taiwan.

All pig farms are required to prove their pork sold on the market is free of lean meat-growth additive from March 14, the executive authority has demanded.

Of the pork imported from the United States to Taiwan, 11.8 percent contains residues of lean meat-growth stimulant and 60 percent of the imported pork is used for food processing, according to officials.