Taiwan adopts AI to enhance screening for defective fruits

台灣採用人工智慧加強水果的瑕疵篩檢

Border Prediction Intelligent System boosts detection rate to 3.8% and cuts inspection costs


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday the implementation of the AI-powered Border Prediction Intelligent System has increased the detection rate of non-compliant imported fruits to 3.8%.

FDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said the administration has used the system since 2010 to help inspect imported agricultural products. He noted the system has reduced manpower needs and cut inspection costs by more than NT$4 million (US$123,000) annually, per CNA.

The system collects relevant cloud-based data from domestic and international sources and analyzes product inspection records, violation histories, and global food safety alerts, Lin said. This allows it to build predictive models and use big data analysis to assess whether a specific batch of agricultural products should be sampled for inspection.

According to the administration, all imported agricultural products must first be processed through its Import Food Information System. The Border Prediction Intelligent System then evaluates these products to determine if they should be sampled for inspection, including testing for pesticide residues, heavy metals, food additives, and microbial content.

The number of agricultural product imports to Taiwan has increased from 400,000 batches in 2011 to 760,000 last year. The administration highlighted that with limited manpower and budget, as well as a growing variety of products, AI is expected to become a critical tool in safeguarding imported food. The agency added that it has around 71 inspectors stationed at the border and plans to increase the number to over 100.

Lin said that due to a higher rate of failed safety checks in strawberries imported from Japan, the administration has strengthened inspections since June 2023. In the second half of last year, 317 batches were inspected at the border, with 2.2% failing to meet safety standards. In January, apples and squid from Japan were also found to have pesticide residue and heavy metal levels exceeding regulations.

In January 2024, authorities in Yunlin detected Sudan red, an industrial dye banned from use in food, in chili powder from China. Between February and March 2024, the administration found an additional 22 batches of chili powder containing the dye. The importers were referred to judicial authorities and fined more than NT$2 million.