This year's second meeting of the Board of Food and Medicine Safety, presided over by Vice Premier Mao Chi-kuo, was held at the Executive Yuan today. The board, which includes representatives from academia, civic groups and government, discussed the policies outlined at the November 30, 2013 National Food Safety Conference, the operations of the Food Safety Inspection and Crackdown Task Force, quality control of agricultural products at the source, as well as the status of Taiwan's drug management system.
The global village is becoming smaller due to advances in transportation and technology. But as food production chains expand throughout the globe, the chances of food and drug safety incidents have also increased, putting the public's health in danger and causing widespread concern. Therefore, food and drug safety has become a hot issue around the world.
In Taiwan, the government's principles for handling food scares have been to face the situation squarely and control the damage, learn from the experience and rebuild Taiwan's reputation. During the string of food safety incidents that have surfaced recently, government agencies neither evaded nor concealed the problems but joined hands to control the source and flow of tainted goods, removed them from store shelves, and investigated violators to set the public at ease. After the food adulteration scandal, for instance, the government proposed stiffer punishments in the amendments to the Act Governing Food Sanitation, which was sent to the Legislative Yuan November 21, 2013 for deliberation.
Food and drug safety is a top priority for the government, said Vice Premier Mao. He requested various agencies to step up source management, promote quality control mechanisms, strengthen safety supervision and enhance interministerial communication. Violators must be apprehended and brought to justice to protect citizens and prevent more incidents in the future.