Premier Mao Chi-kuo has ordered an immediate crackdown on manufacturers of tainted dried tofu products, directing agencies to slap heavy punishment on offenders, the Executive Yuan said today. He also called upon food operators to resist the temptation of illicit gains and asked citizens to help watch out for suspicious food manufacturing practices.
As soon as the Executive Yuan learned that certain companies were selling or using the chemical agent dimethyl yellow as a food dye in soybean products, it directed the MOHW to order all local health bureaus to track and remove adulterated products from shelves. The Executive Yuan's Office of Food Safety (OFS) also began coordinating crackdown efforts across government agencies.
The Ministry of Education, using a food ingredients registration platform, has completed checks of elementary and junior high schools in 10 counties and cities and found no tainted tofu products in school lunches. Inspections are still underway in the remaining counties and cities.
Preliminary investigations into GMP (good manufacturing practice) and CAS (Certified Agricultural Standards) products have also turned up no violations or tainted products.
As of today, the OFS has tracked down 12 food companies downstream from Chien Hsin Enterprise, the source of the prohibited dye. Two of these companies had already been shut down during another government operation to root out underground factories of substandard cooking oil.
In addition, 36 types of dried tofu products have been identified and pulled from store shelves. The government will continue with the inspections and hopes to remove all affected products in the shortest time possible.
As for Chien Hsin Enterprise, which made and sold the dimethyl yellow soybean emulsifier to manufacturers of dried tofu, the Executive Yuan has instructed the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office to work with all district offices to track down Chien Hsin's products as well as companies that supplied it with the dimethyl yellow dye. Prosecutors will cut off all sources and prosecute violators to the full extent of the law.
The Executive Yuan further pointed out that authorities were able to identify the culprits and affected products quickly this time thanks to the Food and Drug Administration's food ingredients registration platform, which made tracing and inspection tasks easier.
According to the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, food additive manufacturers, importers and retailers must register themselves and their products with the platform. However, Chien Hsin acted dishonestly when it failed to register "oily yellow powder" as an ingredient in its soybean emulsifier. Health agencies have been instructed to do more to ensure the accuracy of information registered by businesses and fulfill the purpose of the platform.
In addition, the Executive Yuan's Department of Consumer Protection has asked the nation's seven major hypermarket chains and other retailers to allow consumers to exchange or return contaminated products. Updated information of this incident will be posted on the food safety sites under the Executive Yuan (www.ey.gov.tw) and the Yuan's Consumer Protection Committee (CPC) (www.cpc.ey.gov.tw, both in Chinese).
In case of a consumer dispute, the public may dial 1950 for the local government's consumer service center or file an online complaint with the CPC website. These measures will safeguard consumers' rights and allow local consumer ombudsmen to handle disputes properly.