At today's press conference on the latest tainted lard scandal, Premier Jiang Yi-huah reiterated the government's solemn determination to resolve food safety issues in Taiwan. He ordered government agencies to use the full weight of their authority to root out corrupt food manufacturers and to persist until none remain in Taiwan.
Based on recent audit reports, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) verified yesterday that Ting Hsin Group had imported animal feed oil from a manufacturer in Vietnam and was passing off the non-edible oil as fit for human consumption. After confirming with Vietnamese authorities that that manufacturer is not in the business of producing edible oil, MOHW officials promptly headed to Pingtung County to seal off oil sumps at Ting Hsin's factory.
"Although the companies involved in this incident command substantial shares of the domestic lard market and have a far-reaching impact, we will not go soft on them no matter how big the company or how large their market share," Jiang said.
He demanded that the MOHW, Ministry of Justice and other agencies investigate and prosecute the case thoroughly so as to give Taiwan's food industry a fresh start and restore consumer confidence in its products.
This past week, intense government operations to pull problematic products from shelves have impacted the local food and oil markets, Jiang noted. The scope of these operations will likely expand next week and consumers may have difficulty finding lard in stores. However, the government will implement complementary measures to ease this temporary problem.
Premier Jiang said the Executive Yuan convened a meeting Friday to discuss the potential lard shortage with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Council of Agriculture (COA) and other agencies. Aside from authorizing emergency imports of lard oil from Japan, Spain and other advanced countries, the government will lower related tariffs and screen and certify the products. Domestic importers will be allowed to bring the products into Taiwan in the shortest time possible to prevent a shortage. The COA will also permit emergency imports of the raw lard materials that are needed to refine lard.
With the public demanding greater transparency than ever, Jiang instructed the MOHW to swiftly disclose the companies involved in the scandal, the problematic lard products made by Ting Hsin's subsidiary Cheng I Food Co., and the companies that purchased products from Cheng I. After sealing Ting Hsin's oil sumps yesterday, the MOHW should also disclose the list of products to be pulled, and which products have been distributed downstream, the premier said.
While the various local governments may not all report back at the same speed, the MOHW should quickly announce all the information it has on hand and keep the public posted on the latest developments, Jiang said.