After meeting with the Executive Yuan Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) this afternoon, local rice sellers have agreed to reduce the price of packaged rice that had been re-labeled as lower-grade rice.
Last year, many high-grade locally grown rice products sold on the market were found to be adulterated with cheaper, low-grade imported rice; one wholesaler even had its license revoked due to repeat offenses. The Executive Yuan then proposed amendments to the Food Administration Act to raise standards on product labels and prohibit rice mixing. However, some businesses have responded not by raising the quality of their rice, but by changing the label on their products to a lower grade without reducing the price. Today's meeting was ordered by Premier Jiang Yi-huah to bring businesses and government agencies together and find better ways of protecting consumers.
Present at the DCP's meeting were the Agriculture and Food Agency of the Council of Agriculture, the Ministry of Justice, the Fair Trade Commission, the Union of Taiwan Rice Trading Chambers, and local grain sellers. After lengthy negotiation, the rice sellers agreed to cut prices on packaged rice by a "noticeable" measure. The actual amount of reduction and products to be affected will be announced in a few days.
The upcoming Lunar New Year holiday marks one of the year's busiest seasons for the food industry, with distributors and retailers holding major sales events across the country. The DCP reminds consumers to be smart and shop around for better prices and products.