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Ethiopian coffee beans imported from an import agency
Commonly known as ‘fungal toxin’, ochratoxin A exceeds the standard level
Regarding the fact that a carcinogen called ‘fungal toxin’ was detected and recalled in Ethiopian beans imported by an importing agent, MegaMGC Coffee, a coffee franchise that receives green beans imported from the company, said, “We refused to take over the problematic green coffee beans and immediately It was returned,” he said.
According to the industry on the 22nd, Megacoffee announced through a notice the previous day, “Recently, there was a report that ochratoxin A was detected in green coffee beans imported from Ethiopia, where a green coffee importing agency was in the process of customs clearance. However, since we did not take over the problematic green coffee beans, there is no impact on the coffee products we provide to our customers.”
The company said, “The green coffee beans we were trying to purchase were immediately rejected and returned because toxic substances were found during the quarantine phase of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety before import customs clearance. Because import customs clearance is decided after always performing quarantine, it cannot be used or distributed on the market without permission,” he said. .
As consumer anxiety grew, Compose Coffee, another coffee franchise, announced that ochratoxin A was not detected as a result of testing raw material toxic substances.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 1st of this month that ochratoxin A was detected in excess of the standard value (less than 5ug/kg) in Ethiopian coffee beans imported by Blessbin Co., Ltd., a green coffee bean importer. Ochratoxin A is a fungal toxin that occurs in stored grains and has been defined as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under the World Health Organization (WHO). General heat cooking, such as roasting roasted beans, does not remove the toxicity, and it is known to cause damage to the kidneys and liver.
Blessbin, which supplies green beans to domestic coffee shops, announced again on the same day, “We apologize for causing concern to many people.” I would like to say again that there is no distribution. As promised last time, we introduced a pre-export quarantine system through cooperation with the production site.”
Reporter Kim Bong-gu, Hankyung.com [email protected]