By Chiu Chih-jou and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Public health officials are aiming to prevent mold-induced carcinogens in peanuts to protect consumers, new regulations proposed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) showed.
Taiwan's hot and humid climate results in heightened risks of mold growth, which could create aflatoxin in peanuts, the FDA said.
Aflatoxins are an International Agency for Research on Cancer group 1 carcinogen with no tolerable daily intake and cannot be removed through remedial food processing, it said.
In response, guidelines have been proposed to regulate the production of peanut products to ensure higher food safety standards, the agency said, adding that the public comment period would be open until the end of the year.
The draft regulations mandate enhanced training for deshelling workers, focusing on personal hygiene and the ability to identify abnormalities in the raw material, it said.
Restrictions would also be imposed on the cleanliness and use of chemical substances in deshelling facilities to prevent contamination by insects, rodents and birds, the FDA said, adding that safeguards for machinery, supply chains, crop selection and legal documentation would be updated to reflect best practices.
The proposed rules aim to guide the industry's self-regulation, FDA food safety division official Hsiao Hui-wen (蕭惠文) said.
Linkou Chang Gung Hospital clinical toxicology center head Yen Tzung-hai (顏宗海) said that aflatoxin is a class of extremely poisonous compounds and ingesting its B1 form in large amounts could result in acute liver failure.
Long-term exposure to the substance might result in chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer, he said.
Sweetcorn and peanuts are susceptible to the fungus growth that leads to aflatoxin, he said, adding that refrigeration could help keep mold out of finished food products derived from nuts and grains.