Starch is almost used in every Chinese food preparation. We are very concerned about safety of such food widely sold in American shops.
Since mid-May, Taiwanese health authorities have confiscated more than 312 tons of food starch – a key ingredient in bubble tea – that was found to have been tainted with maleic acid, a cheap food additive that can cause kidney failure when consumed in large doses.
The toxic starch has also poisoned Taiwan’s food exports. On Wednesday, Malaysia announced an immediate ban on 11 food items imported from Taiwan. Singapore imposed similar ban over the weekend.
This is the second island-wide food scare in two years after the discovery of the pervasive use of plasticizer – a chemical additive to use to make food more pliable – in May 2011.