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Updated Friday, February 10, 2012 0:20 am TWN, The China Post news staff

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Carrefour takes all beef products off shelf over ractopamine scare

Taiwan's biggest wholesale business Carrefour announced that it would remove all American beef products in its 63 branches across the island until the products are legally certified to be free of ractopamine, yesterday morning.

According to an inspection report released by the environmental protection group Greenpeace (綠色和平) yesterday, chives sold at a Carrefour Yilan branch were tested to contain a pesticide level 1.7 times exceeding the legal amount, and the American beef ribs it sold allegedly contained ractopamine. As the wholesaler's quality control faces doubts, managers of the business announced their decision to take all U.S. beef-related products off the shelves, including beef ribs and beef fillets, etc.

That residual pesticides were detected in the vegetables the company sells is a completely irrelevant issue from whether the beef it sells is ractopamine-contaminated, National Public Relations Manager of Carrefour Ho Mo-chen (何默真) stated yesterday, stressing that the company is de-shelving its beef products for the sake of protecting the consumers, rather than to restore the image of the corporation.

The U.S. beef products are quite popular sellers, favored by as many folks preferring Australian beef, Ho said. Due to concerns over quality, the company had decided to get all its products re-inspected; all products will go on the shelves again upon receiving legal safety guarantees, which could be within the week, she asserted.

Regarding the overdosed pesticide residuals in vegetables, Ho claimed that it is more a matter of the standard of agricultural chemical usage set by the Council of Agriculture (COA). The COA should revise its standards, as many vegetable pesticides banned in the European Union are actually legal in Taiwan, she said.

While Carrefour removes its beef products through such emergency measures, wholesale businesses RT-Mart (大潤發) and Far Eastern AMart (愛買) claimed that their U.S. beef products are all legally guaranteed and remain on shelves.

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