The National Police Agency (NPA) has launched a "food safety clean-up" operation to crack down on manufacturers that put illegal or counterfeit ingredients into food products and to stop them from harming consumers' health and interests, the Executive Yuan's Office of Food Safety (OFS) stated today.
Working with the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and other competent agencies, the NPA mobilized police forces nationwide to inspect "underground" or unregistered businesses or factories engaged in the production of oil, meat, fruits and vegetables, grains and other common foods.
From October 22 to November 20, the NPA mobilized 17,686 personnel to check 6,784 suspicious sites. Of the 480 possible underground food factories uncovered, 29 are suspected of involvement in criminal activities and have been referred to district prosecutors (including three that have already been indicted).
Some 458 factories are alleged to have breached administrative regulations and their cases have been turned over to competent agencies for investigation and punishment (138 are still under investigation and 320 have been penalized).
The seven factories suspected of both administrative and criminal violations have been referred to local prosecutors as well as competent authorities.
Moreover, at the Executive Yuan food safety meeting convened by MOHW Minister Chiang Been-huang yesterday, it was decided that probes will continue into 54 edible oil makers, 43 meat suppliers and 97 noodle manufacturers that have already been referred for prosecution or punishment. The MOHW and the Council of Agriculture (COA) will look closely at these companies' upstream suppliers in a bid to cut off problematic ingredients at the source.
The NPA has dispatched personnel to support taskforces in northern, central and southern Taiwan and to work with the Executive Yuan food safety inspection and crackdown team. Meanwhile, local police departments have organized taskforces and set up 24-hour single-window services to enable swift coordination and investigation in emergency cases.
Police came across a number food manufacturing sites that were closed for business and unavailable for inspection, the OFS said, and authorities will continue to inspect, investigate and clamp down on illicit businesses.
The OFS also encouraged the public to quickly report suspicious activities or companies to competent authorities (including the MOHW, COA and MOEA), local prosecutors or the police. The nation's police departments are determined to battle illegal food manufacturing practices to ensure food safety for the public, OFS officials stressed.