Taiwan removes 500,000 bottles of tainted drinks

TAIPEI, May 24 (AFP): Taiwan said Tuesday that nearly half-a-million bottles of drinks have been removed from shelves over fears they contain a chemical used in plastics. "The recall started last week...dozens of companies have been affected," Tsai Shu-chen, an official of the Food and Drug Administration, told AFP. More than 460,000 bottles of sports drinks and fruit juice, as well as 20 tonnes of fruit and yogurt powder and 130,000 packs of probiotic powder have been recalled, she said. The decision came after health officials found locally manufactured drinks containing a platicizer called DEHP. The Food and Drug Administration traced the source of the chemical and Monday arrested Lai Chun-chieh, the owner of Yushen company, which has its headquarters in northern New Taipei City.