Health concerns raised as Taiwan detects growth drug in US beef

Taiwanese authorities have detected cattle feed additive zilpaterol in US beef, the third such incident in less than a month in Asia, raising concerns over banned animal growth drugs.

Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration said yesterday that it found the beef tainted with the growth enhancer in a restaurant owned by Wowprime, prompting authorities to increase checks on US meat imports. An official at Wowprime said it had destroyed all of the 203kg of tainted US beef.

There is zero tolerance for feed additives such as zilpaterol in much of Asia and Europe due to concerns about the side effects of such drugs, used to add muscle weight to animals.