Thailand’s Agriculture Department has suspended the export licences of 26 durian wholesalers in response
Over 64 tonnes of Thai durian has been rejected by China officials after being found to be contaminated with yellow dye, according to reporting from The Nation.
Rapeepat Chansriwong, director-general of Thailand’s Agriculture Department, said the department had tested samples of the rejected durian and confirmed the contamination adding that the fruit had been destroyed by department officials at the plant quarantine office at Laem Chabang deep seaport and at the Aranyaprathet border checkpoint.
According to The Nation, Basic Yellow 2 (BY2) dye has recently drawn attention for its use in artificially enhancing the colour of durian fruit, particularly for export. In this case, it is suspected that some exporters dipped the fruit in the dye to make them appear more yellow.
In response to the incident, China has introduced new regulations requiring all durian exported from Thailand to undergo laboratory testing for the dye.
While the exact cause of the contamination is still under investigation, Chansriwong announced the department had suspended the export licences of 26 durian wholesalers responsible for shipping the contaminated durians. The Agriculture Department, under the Ministry of Agriculture, will also revise the export manual for durians to prevent further incidents.
