TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has expressed concern over Taiwan’s policy to require country of origin labeling (COOL) for pork products amid the ractopamine controversy.
In a 2021 report on foreign trade barriers, USTR suggests the labeling measure effective on Jan. 1 “inaccurately implies that there is a food safety concern with U.S. pork with ractopamine.” The policy also serves as a disincentive to purchasing U.S. pork by Taiwan manufacturers of processed pork products.
Meanwhile, USTR has raised concern about Taiwan’s ractopamine residue detection method, which it says could yield inaccurate results as the method is not conducted in line with the one recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex). The trade agency is urging the establishment of a maximum residue limits (MRLs) mechanism in Taiwan aligned with international standards, according to the report.
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