Premier Mao Chi-kuo today encouraged Taiwan's businesses to think about more than simply increasing profits and cutting costs but to make social responsibility an integral part of their corporate culture.
The premier made the remarks at the 2015 Corporate Social Responsibility Award ceremony organized by the Taiwan-based magazine Global Views Monthly, which he commended for its longstanding commitment to promoting social responsibility.
Sadly, some businesses like those involved in the recent food safety scandals have abandoned their responsibility to society in favor of larger profit margins, the premier said. In many instances, the businesses used unapproved ingredients, purposely mislabeled their products, or made counterfeit products. While they claimed their products met certain standards, the products in fact did not. This type of problem cannot be resolved by government inspections alone but ultimately requires companies to proactively manage themselves as well.
The government hopes that the recently established three-tier quality control system involving businesses, regulators and third-party certification will shore up food safety standards in Taiwan. The system manages ingredients at the source and tracks the flow of products throughout the supply chain.
Still, the effectiveness of this scheme depends largely on the food makers themselves, Mao said. Companies have a responsibility to their downstream consumers to ensure that their products are safe and labels truthful. They should also ask their upstream suppliers for an accounting of where the ingredients came from and request verifiable proof that such ingredients meet regulatory requirements.
"Businesses at every level can improve their own food safety by upholding responsibility to their customers and demanding accountability from their suppliers. This web of inter-accountability is the only way to restore market order and bring back consumer confidence in the food industry."
Premier Mao thanked Global Views Monthly for its efforts over the years to make the Corporate Social Responsibility Award such a distinguished honor. He hopes each recipient would set an example for the industry and use their influence to spread socially responsible practices to every corner of the business world.