A new food safety task force will be established under the Board of Food and Medicine Safety (BFMF), Vice Premier Mao Chi-kuo announced at a BFMF meeting convened at the Executive Yuan today.
The task force's purpose is to integrate the strengths of relevant competent authorities, work together to enhance food safety and health management policies, strengthen emergency response and communication, and set up comprehensive information systems to crack down on illegal foods and safeguard the health of the citizenry.
The existing cross-ministerial Food Safety Inspection and Crackdown Task Force will also be integrated into the new task force and will continue with food-safety inspections.
Minister without Portfolio Chiang Been-huang, who is a seasoned scholar in food science, will serve as the convener for the new task force, while the heads of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), Ministry of Economic Affairs and Council of Agriculture will be deputy conveners.
As the annual production value of the nation's biotechnology industry has been increasing year by year, the nation has set its eyes on the global market. At this BFMF meeting, the MOHW reported on strategies to promote Taiwan's pharmaceuticals internationally. Vice Premier Mao, who presided over the meeting, stated that Taiwan has reached international standards in both manufacturing and prescription of drugs and has considerable accomplishments in drug management, public health, and the development of medical and medicinal industries. In the future, the MOHW's Food and Drug Administration together with other related agencies shall continue to promote related industrial development and international cooperation.
The MOHW also reported on oversight and assistance as well as management measures for food manufacturers. Mao stated that assistance and inspection on food manufacturers must be based on the rule of law and that violation penalties should also be raised. In the future, the government will continue to improve health agencies' management of food manufacturers, foster a consumer environment in which food is safe, and thoroughly implement good sanitation regulations on food manufacturing plants to enhance the industry's standards, he pledged.